Reflections
by PixelDarling
Summary: Rose Tyler was having a terrible day. And it was going to get worse. A warning: I'm not 100% sure where this is going to go yet. Also, this is an entirely human AU. I have rewritten the histories of some characters to suit my needs. Rose, Mickey, Martha, Adam, Jack (duh) as well as a few others are American. The story starts in the US.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Rose

Rose Tyler was having a terrible day. Her boyfriend, Adam, had already been gone for the day when she had woken. He had apparently consumed the last of their coffee, so she was forced to stop on her way to work, lest she face the day under-caffeinated. That was a dangerous state for any programmer to be in, much less a graduate assistant faced with the daunting task of assisting undergraduates master the difference between iteration and recursion. Then, when she was rushing into her tiny closet of an office, she accidentally collided with the head of her department. Fortunately, none of her precious coffee ended up damaging Dr. Long's suit. Unfortunately, most of it ended up on her blouse. She didn't have time to go home and change, so despite the warmth of the April morning, she grabbed a sweater that she had left in her office, probably months ago, and rushed back out. She was almost late for the first class of the day.

Her mentor, Jack Harkness, wouldn't care if she was late. She was only a teaching assistant for this class, it wasn't one she led on her own. And Jack had become more friend than mentor over the years. But Rose hated to be tardy, so she ignored the discomfort of the coffee-stained shirt and the overly warm sweater and went about her day. It didn't really get any better. The undergraduate research group she was assisting was having teamwork issues. Two of the four wanted to be team leader, which was resulting in major stalls on their project as the two butted heads. Her own personal research was a bit stalled as well. Her primary interests were artificial intelligence and digital cryptography, but the university was small and none of the faculty were specialists in either of those subjects. So, she was fairly well on her own with the topics.

By the end of the day, she was tired and frazzled. Jack must have noticed her harried appearance, since he had brought her a cup of coffee that afternoon. He had taken her under his wing back when she had first returned to school. He'd been kind to her and encouraged her. She'd needed that encouragement in the beginning. Adam certainly hadn't cared one way or the other, as long as she kept working and _he_ could go to school. She had wanted to return to school so badly, but hadn't been sure she could do it. Jack had asked her to be his assistant as soon as she had expressed interest in joining the master's program. He was a notorious flirt, but he'd always treated her like a little sister.

She gathered her things and prepared to leave for the day. She was hoping that having left early that morning meant that Adam would have made some arrangements for dinner. Not that it was likely, it was rare for him to remember anything past the experiments he was running over in the chemistry department. But a girl could dream, right? She resigned herself to attempting to remember what might be in their pantry at home and what she might be able to come up with to eat that night.

Rose walked into her apartment surprised to find the front area still dim. She was sure she had seen Adam's car in the parking lot. He must be here. _Why is it so dark?_ As she was setting her keys down, she heard a sound from the bedroom, at the back of the apartment. She headed towards the bedroom to check on what he could be doing in there, with all the lights out up here, when the noise came again and she stopped. Her heart stuttered and then blood began rushing in her ears as she strained to make out the sound. When she recognized it her heart dropped and her stomach clenched. It was a rhythmic thumping, punctuated with soft gasps and moans. She stood for a frozen moment with the unmistakable sound of sex coming from behind her bedroom door before she rushed forward and slammed the door open.

Adam and a petite brunette jumped at the sound and rushed to cover themselves with the comforter on the bed. Her comforter. Her bed. He had brought another woman to her home, her bed. It was happening. It was happening again. Oh God. How could she be so stupid? Adam was babbling something that might have been an apology or an explanation and the girl was looking at her with something like pity on her face, but Rose couldn't hear anything either of them were saying. Her brain was sorting through the last two years of her life with Adam Mitchell. Distance and late nights in the lab and leaving before she woke in the mornings.

Then she's shouting and she still hasn't heard a word that they've said but she's shouting at them to get out and shouting at Adam that he'd better not come back unless it's to collect his crap. The girl has thrown her clothes back on and oh, she's someone Rose has seen around the chemistry department and _oh_ , late nights at the _lab_ , of course. And then they're leaving and then the apartment is silent and she's alone again and maybe she's always been and maybe she'll always be. And now that she doesn't have anyone to shout at the tears come and she's sobbing and she's collapsing to her knees and she's not quite sure how much time has passed.

Eventually she pulls herself off of the floor in her bedroom. She looks at the bed before walking to the hall closet and digging out an old faded comforter. She drags it to the living room and thinks to set an alarm on her phone before swaddling herself in the blanket on the couch. It's a long time before sleep finally comes.

Jack

Jack was worried about Rose. His sweet graduate assistant seemed to be coming apart at the seams today. Unfortunately, that was becoming a common occurrence. He didn't think she was even aware of it. She'd thanked him for the coffee he had brought her, but she'd been too distracted to give him the smile he was looking for. He didn't think it was actually the work load that was the problem. Rose was a spectacularly hard worker. He had been watching out for her ever since she had joined the program, almost five years ago, now.

He had a soft spot for returning, non-traditional students. He himself had returned for his master's after he had gotten out of the army. Non-traditionals tended to need a lot of support, and from what he could tell, Rose didn't really have any. She never, _never_ spoke about her family. He knew she had a boyfriend, a master's student in the chemistry department. He also knew the bastard was known as a flirt and he had a strong suspicion that the man was not faithful. He'd considered putting the moves on her himself, but had discarded that idea early in their association. He liked her. He liked her a lot. But he wasn't monogamous by nature, and he felt, no he _knew_ , that Rose deserved better than he could offer in that department. Not skills-wise, of course. Just commitment-wise. He'd never actually stopped to consider that it might be inappropriate to get involved with a student.

But maybe he could offer her something else. She was one of the most talented students to pass through this tiny program in some time. She was fascinated by artificial intelligence and by encryption. They didn't have anyone here who was an expert in those things. But. Jack had a friend in London. A friend who it so happened was an expert in digital encryption. Jack also had a flat in London, kept for his own infrequent visits. What if he sent her to London? He knew the Doctor would never agree to a set-up, but he would probably be thrilled to talk shop. Who didn't want to talk shop with an adorable blonde who could hold her own? Of course there was the matter of the bastard. She might not want to go. She might not want to go without _him_. _He_ might not want to let her go. Maybe Jack needed to be a bit trickier.

The more Jack thought about his two friends, the frazzled graduate student and the brilliant, lonely man in London, the better he felt about the idea of introducing them. He just needed a reason to send Rose to London. She couldn't afford the trip, for sure. He would have to find a way to gift it to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

Rose

When Rose Tyler was nineteen years old she was a university freshman. She liked math and computers, but she loved to read and she loved to sing. She didn't think studying singing formally was very practical, since there are always more talented people than famous people, so she had decided to study literature. Then she met a boy.

Jimmy Stone played the guitar and was the singer in a band local to the college town. He was brooding and mysterious. Rose found herself eager to attend all of his shows. One night she decided to hang around backstage and try to meet him. Jimmy had, quite simply swept Rose off her feet. He paid her attention when he ignored other girls. He pulled her up on stage on occasion, and, once or twice, asked her to sing with the band. When he told her his band was going on a tour and asked if she wanted to come, she'd hesitated. But he'd promised she could sing, and when they got a record contract she could be a part of it. So she'd abandoned school and gone on the road with Jimmy Stone. Her mother had been beyond furious with her.

There had been other women in her bed then as well, but she'd believed him every time he had apologized and said never again. Six months of hellish emotional abuse later she was abandoned in a motel in a medium-sized town with next to no money, no friends and nowhere to go. She'd been too humiliated by the experience to call her mother. So she'd done her best to make herself presentable as a human again. She'd gone to a chain bookstore and applied for work. In a change from the luck she had been having, the bookstore had been in desperate need and had hired her on the spot.

She had spent the next year and a half working every extra shift she could pick up, saving every dime, and relearning who Rose Tyler was. She also rediscovered her love of numbers and logic. She made a few fast friends at the bookstore. Mickey Smith was the receiving manager. He had made a point of talking to her in the early days, when she was still brittle and unsure of who she was or what she was doing. He seemed to know she had been through something, but he never asked her about it. He just talked about himself, a grandmother he adored, what kind of books she liked to read, and how was Rose liking working in a bookstore? And he talked about Martha. Martha Jones was his girlfriend and a merchandise manager at the bookstore. She was taking pre-med classes at night and wanted to be a doctor. Mickey clearly adored her.

Martha was kind to her as well, and as the time went on Mickey Smith and Martha Jones became her closest friends in this new place she was starting to call home. Martha's excitement about her classes lit a spark inside Rose, and she found herself yearning to return to what she had abandoned. But this time, she thought she would try computers. She had enrolled for a semester at the local community college in order to get her feet wet, and things had begun to change for her.

Her semester at the community college had been fantastic. It had turned out that she had a talent for computer languages and she genuinely enjoyed bending the computer to her will. And, she met someone. Adam Mitchell was a chemistry major who had been preparing to transfer from the community college to the university in town. It was a small branch of the state university. Unlike Jimmy, Adam was a student. Like Jimmy, Adam had swept Rose off her feet. She had been wary of him at first, but they had been inseparable that first semester, and after they both transferred to university…

Rose and Adam had been dating for a year, and it seemed only sensible to get an apartment together. They were always at one of their places together, if they weren't in class or at work. So they had moved in together. At first Rose had found the experience wonderful. But after they had graduated and separately entered graduate school, things had been different.

Rose knew that she herself was swamped at school. Between her own master's work, working as a TA, mentoring an undergrad research group, and working as Jack's assistant she was rarely at home when she wasn't sleeping. Or coding. The fact that Adam hadn't been home much and had seemed a bit distant hadn't really registered. Until that night.

"Ugh.'" Rose slapped at her phone on the coffee table and ungracefully rolled off of her couch. It was morning. She had to go to work. That meant students and grading and research and Jack. Oh God. She was going to have to talk to people today. Adam would likely be on campus. His new _girlfriend_ would likely be on campus. "Ugh."

Well. She hadn't let Jimmy Stone destroy her, so she wouldn't let Adam Mitchell destroy her, either. Even if it had turned out that the two were more alike than she had thought. For five years. She felt the tears coming up again, and decided she had best drag herself to the shower. At least she could have one more moment of self-pity before she faced the day.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon and Rose was sitting in a chair in Jack's office. She was struggling to get her weeping under control. She hadn't been quite successful at hiding her distress that day, and Jack had voiced his concern for her. He'd asked her if she needed to talk about anything. When they had gotten to his office, the story had spilled out of her. He had looked at her with compassion instead of pity, and because she was so raw and Jack had never been anything but kind to her she told him the rest, too. She told him about Jimmy and leaving school the first time. She told him that she still hadn't spoken to her mother. She told him that she had thought Adam was so different from Jimmy, but that now she thought maybe she was just meant to be alone.

Jack came out from behind his desk and gave her a warm hug where she was still seated in the chair. "Don't you dare believe that, Rosie. Adam and Jimmy are dirt beneath your feet. You deserve so much better than either of them." He let go of her and moved to crouch so he was looking her in the eye. "I think you're gonna be better off without him. Okay?" He stood and sat back down in his chair. Now he was looking at her contemplatively. "You know what I think you need?"

She sniffled, but she offered him a small smile as she answered. "What do I need, Captain?"

"Well, first you need a night out at the bar with some friends. Go hang out with some of your friends from the bookstore. I know you haven't worked there for a while, but I bet you still have friends there."

"Yeah, I might try Mickey and Martha, but Martha's really busy with her residency these days, so…"

"Well, the second part is more important, anyway. The second thing you need, Rose Tyler, is a vacation. You've been here, on campus, every semester since you came back. Summers included. You're under a lot of stress, Rosie. And that bastard didn't do you any favors. I think when the semester ends, you should go out of town for a few weeks."

Rose spluttered at him for a second, before she could find an appropriate response to this. "Jack! You know I can't afford that. The only reason I was able to stop working at the bookstore was those grants you helped me get. Which, I'm pretty sure, you already know. I can't afford a trip and I can't afford to not work for a few weeks, either."

"I thought you might say that. But, I have answers to all of your objections."

"Jack, how could you already have 'answers to all of my objections'?"

"Well, I've been thinking about this for a little while now. This situation just made it seem more urgent. Now, as I was saying. I have a flat in London. I use it when I visit some friends of mine who live there. I would love for you to take a vacation and stay in my flat in London."

"Um. Jack, I like you and all, and you know that you're gorgeous, but-"

"Rose. I meant use it by yourself. Go to London. Use the flat. Sight-see, ride the London-Eye, try to get the guards at Buckingham to laugh. See Downing Street. Be a tourist, have fun, forget douchebags like Jimmy Stone and Adam Mitchell. Have a vacation fling, even. You'll feel better when you get back, and your job will still be waiting here. I'll even buy your plane ticket, and make sure your apartment here is paid for. Rose. You're my friend. Believe me when I say, it's no hardship to me to do this for you. I want to. Go to London for two weeks this summer."

"Jack. That's… That's too much. I can't accept all of that. Never been one for doing the tourist thing anyway."

"Well. I have one more thing and if this can't tempt you, I don't know what will. I'll give up."

"Fine, what is it then?" By now, Rose was actually feeling much better. Even though she wouldn't go to London, just knowing Jack cared enough to offer felt really nice. She grinned at him as she waited to see what else he would offer.

"Well, I believe that the foremost location for research in encryption is right there in London. There's even a public tour that teaches people about Bletchley Park and Alan Turing and enigma. They won't let you see what the current research is, but…"

Rose's heart beat a little faster. She couldn't accept a sight-seeing trip to London. She couldn't accept a trip to get over a cheating boyfriend. But, this… This was something she was passionate about. Even if they wouldn't talk about their current work, maybe she could just talk to them… at all. Maybe she'd learn something she couldn't learn here in this tiny university. She realized Jack was still looking at her expectantly, trademark grin on his face, eyes twinkling as he watched her inner monologue taking place.

"Really? You'd really… do all of that for me?"

"Yes. Please, Rose. Take my offer. You deserve it."

She only hesitated for a moment more before beaming at him and nodding. "Okay. Thank you, Jack! Thank you so much! But no vacation fling. I think my picker is broken. It's a good thing I got my passport back when Jimmy was selling me that 'you're gonna be a star' crap!" She still felt awful about Adam. She'd thought he loved her. But this, this was something she could pour herself into.

Jack

Jack sat in his office after Rose left, thinking about the turn of events that had given him the opening he had been looking for. The first part of his plan was done. Rose had agreed to go to London. It would be a small thing to pay for her apartment while she was off work. Jack had more money than he had need for, having inherited a small fortune from his grandfather. He would still need to find a way to provide her with spending money, though. He didn't want her going on vacation and stressing over the cost of a meal.

Now, he had to work on the other half of the equation. Dr. James Noble. Jack had met the Doctor years ago, when the US government had discreetly borrowed him from the British government to refit the digital security of the intelligence community. It was something of an embarrassment to the US government, using a foreign specialist for sensitive matters of national security, so only a small team of army programmers had been allowed to assist him. Or even know of his involvement. Jack and the Doctor (so-called by his friends because the man had several doctoral degrees) had hit it off and had kept in contact over the years. Despite the fact that Jack was shit with encryption and had been near useless on that project. He was the primary reason Jack kept his flat in London.

Four years ago, the Doctor had married French socialite Reinette Poisson. Reinette's father owned a company that made microprocessors, and they had been attending the same events for years. To everyone outside, they had seemed like a perfect match. She was stunning and graceful. He was charming and brilliant. But. The Doctor was a workaholic when he was on a project and Reinette had apparently felt the relationship was neglectful. They had divorced two years ago thanks to her propensity for Spanish lovers. The Doctor hadn't exactly been heartbroken; Jack wasn't sure he had actually loved Reinette. But, he had confessed to Jack that he didn't have the energy to put towards a relationship when he tended to get so wrapped up in his work. He'd last spoken to him three months ago and the man had told him that he had sworn off women entirely. Jack had made an obligatory pass at him after that remark, but he knew the Doctor had never been interested in him in that way.

Since it was now six o'clock, central US time, that meant it would be midnight in London. The Doctor had always been an insomniac, so Jack decided to give his friend a call. He didn't think a set-up was right for either of them, especially after hearing Rose's story. But, maybe he could arrange for them to just meet while she was in London. Maybe, they would set themselves up.

James

He didn't notice his phone was ringing the first three times the tone sounded. On the fourth ring he was distracted enough to lose his train of thought, so he started cursing the thing as he abandoned the code he was working on to answer it. "What."

"Hey, Doc, nice to talk to you, too."

"Jack! Sorry, was in the middle of something, got a bit distracted. How have you been? Still enjoying the teaching work?"

"Yeah, Doc, I love it here. It's easy to be the big fish in a small pond, you know. And the scenery is lovely."

"Yes, Jack, I know, lovely undergraduates, you get older, they stay the same age. Is that really all that appeals to you about that place?"

"Well, actually, no. I actually like the teaching. Sometimes you get to meet truly interesting people. In fact, that's kinda why I'm calling."

"You're calling me, because you met someone interesting. Jack…"

"No, Doc, let me finish. I have this graduate assistant, Rose."

"Of course you do."

"Doc! Please. This is important to me. She's important to me and before you ask, no, it's not like that. I actually like her too much for that, and she's been through enough as it is. She left school years back and went through some stuff. It's not important what stuff. She came back a few years ago and got her degree here and went straight into our master's program. She's really smart, Doc. Too smart for this place, really. She works really hard, and she's been here almost every single day since she came back to school. I've honestly never seen such dedication. She hasn't taken one break, not a single summer off. She's going through some more personal stuff now, and I really want to give her a break. I'm letting her use my flat in London for a few weeks at the start of the summer break."

"So she's a project. That's all very fascinating, as well as out of character, Jack, but what does any of this have to do with me?"

"Well, she's really interested in cryptography. I just thought you guys would get along. Would you maybe just have lunch with her one day while she's there? Keep her company for just one day?"

"You want me to babysit your graduate assistant."

"I don't need you to babysit her, Doctor! She's a grown woman for Christ's sake. She's fascinated by your field and I thought you might be willing to do me the favor. You don't have to. She'll be fine without you. Forget I asked."

James grumbled to himself. He could agree with Jack and just let it go. He really didn't have time. But if he could finish his current project before then… Jack was a good friend, one of the few people he had kept in contact with over the course of his professional life. He wouldn't have asked if he didn't think it was important. And for Jack to go to such lengths for a woman he wasn't trying to sleep with… "No, Jack, it's fine. Just let me know when she'll be here and I'll take her out to lunch one day while she's here. You said her name is Rose?"

"Thanks, Doc. I mean it. I'm sending her for two weeks, the end of May and start of June. Her name is Rose Tyler."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

Rose

Adam Mitchell had been out of her life for over a month now, and Rose was starting to regain her equilibrium. Martha had found the time for two girls' nights in that time and that had been a great help. Having a friend to commiserate with this time made it easier. Jack had been absolutely amazing. As promised he had presented her with a roundtrip ticket to London. He'd also told her that he would pay for a cab to take her to the flat from the airport, and that the kitchen would be stocked. Then he'd told her something else and she'd forgotten her intention to refuse the cab and the food.

He told her he had a friend in London whose specialty was cryptography and that his friend had agreed to take her out to lunch during her stay. Then he told her _who_ the friend was. Dr. James Noble. The Doctor. The world's foremost authority on computer encryption. And he'd told Jack that he'd take her to lunch. Jack couldn't have known. She'd never told anyone.

She had discovered him when she was first becoming interested in cryptography, and…Oh. He was a little bit… gorgeous. Deep brown eyes and really great thick brown hair. A fantastic smile. He looked amazing in his trademark pinstriped suits. She had had a crush on him for several years now. And, she was pretty sure he was married. He had written two doctoral level textbooks on encryption and she had saved to purchase both. Unfortunately they had been beyond her grasp. And she would be having lunch with him in London. There were so many things she wanted to ask him about, but she wasn't sure she would even be able to speak to him. Even if she managed to get her questions out, he would probably think she was an idiot.

She was both thrilled at this opportunity and terrified of it. How was she going to make it through a meal with that man? That was what she was thinking as the plane left American soil and headed for London.

Jack's place turned out to be a penthouse. There were three bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, as well as a guest bathroom off of a tastefully decorated open living area. The kitchen was beautiful and fully stocked just as Jack had said. In the kitchen, she also found a thick envelope with her name on it, in Jack's handwriting. Inside had been a stack of cash (local) and a note insisting that she have a very good vacation. Other than the food in the kitchen, the entire place was pristine, and looked as if it had been rarely used. How could you have a place like this and never use it? It was already evening, so Rose decide to settle in and find something of Jack's to cook. She could unpack, but then, she really needed to try to sleep. It was six hours later here than she was used to, so it would probably feel dreadfully early come morning. It would be hard to sleep with the excitement of just being here, but she knew she needed to try. She wanted to get in a full day of wandering tomorrow.

She had been serious when she had told Jack that she didn't want to do the tourist thing. She didn't. She just wanted to wander, and explore, and just enjoy being in a completely new place. She wanted to forget about cheating bastards and just be Rose Tyler for a while. She would probably take in the tour Jack had mentioned closer to the end of her stay. And, she needed to come up with a strategy. A strategy for speaking with Dr. James Noble. One that preferably didn't involve drooling on him. He was gorgeous and brilliant and dreamy. And taken. So. It would be best to work on a plan of action ahead of time.

Rose made herself a sandwich for dinner and lay down in an incredibly soft bed, under fabulously rich bedding and began the process of trying to shut her brain down for sleep.

It was Thursday morning. Well, it was Thursday afternoon. Her plan to go to bed early had not translated into sleeping early, so Rose didn't wake up until nearly noon. When she did wake, she was disoriented at first. This was clearly _not_ her tiny apartment. Then, once she remembered where she was, she shot out of the bed. Today was the twenty-eighth, so she had a full twelve days in London before she had to fly back home. She had the use of this amazing flat. And apparently a pocket full of spending money. She wouldn't be having lunch with the Doctor until Monday, so she decided to worry about that another day.

She dressed for the day in jeans and a t-shirt. She made herself a breakfast (er, lunch) of eggs, bacon and toast. Then she made her way out of the flat to begin her exploration. Three hours later, and the only thing she had done was wander the streets, looking in shops and people watching. She was starting to feel a bit hungry again, so she began searching for a place to grab a bite. She found a charming little café coffee shop. It looked tiny from the outside, just a blue door squeezed between a woman's clothing store and a bookstore. Gold lettering on the door read TARDIS Café. She briefly considered exploring the bookstore, to see if it was terribly different from the one she had worked in at home, but coffee held more appeal for her at the moment. So, she opened the blue door. And came to a stop, astonished.

The café seemed to extend to the sides, partly inside the space that appeared to house the neighboring businesses. The dining room was larger than she would have expected from the outside. There were small tables scattered around, about half of them full, as well as couches and comfy-looking chairs. A red-haired woman behind the counter looked at her, where she still stood holding the door open, smiled and greeted her with, "Hi! Welcome to the TARDIS café. I'm Amy, how can I help you?" The woman's accent announced that she was not a native Londoner. She sounded distinctly Scottish. Amy's overt friendliness brought Rose out of the daze she had entered on seeing the unexpected size of the café.

"Oh. Hi," Rose replied as she finally let go of the door and approached the counter. "I think I'd like a mocha. And what kind of food do you serve?"

"Oh, you're American! We mostly have regulars, here, so I was excited to see a new face. But I suppose you won't be around long enough to become a regular, then."

The woman's enthusiasm was catching and Rose found herself smiling back at her. "Well, I'm visiting for a couple of weeks, and I'm staying at a friend's place not too far from here, so maybe I'll come in again before I go home? My name's Rose, it's nice to meet you." She may not be looking for a vacation fling, but making a friend was sounding like a good idea. She had been doing fairly well dealing with the whole Adam debacle, but she still sometimes found herself with the strong urge to cry over what had happened. Amy responded enthusiastically and then began to tell Rose about the cold and grilled sandwiches, soups, pastries and baked goods the café offered. Rose ordered a tomato soup and grilled cheese to go with her mocha and went to find herself a seat. The entire café was decorated in tones of blue, and Rose thought it was a lovely place.

Rose ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening at the TARDIS café. Amy's replacement, a short, perky woman named Clara, had arrived not long after Rose had finished her meal, and Amy had joined her at the table. They had chatted for hours and soon it felt to Rose like they had known each other for years. She told Amy about Adam, and how she had come to London at her friend's insistence. She didn't tell her about Jimmy, but she felt like she could and Amy wouldn't judge her for it. She learned that Amy owned the TARDIS with her fiancée Rory Williams and that Amy's last name was Pond. She learned that Rory worked as a nurse, a job he loved, while Amy ran the café. Rory himself joined them later in the evening after his shift ended. She learned that Rory was sweet and just as easy to talk to as Amy. They also clearly adored each other. That part made her feel a little ill, but she swallowed it down, because they were so warm and friendly to her.

By the time she headed back to Jack's flat it was getting late into the evening. She had promised Amy she would visit the café as often as she could manage during her stay, and they had exchanged numbers and addresses. Amy had also insisted that Rose come to a proper dinner at their place sometime before she left London. She definitely wanted to keep in touch with her new friends when she went home. She felt quite lucky to have met them on her first day here. It was exciting being here, but she was a little worried about having all that time by herself, in her own head, without the distraction of a project to fill her time. Not to mention anxiety over her impending lunch with the Doctor.

The Doctor! She had managed to temporarily forget the highlight of her trip in the midst of the pleasure at finding a new friend. Rose had struggled to make new friends after her experience with Jimmy. She wasn't as trusting as she used to be. Even with Mickey and Martha, it had taken a while for her to really let them in. Jack had been the same. But, for some reason, she felt like she could talk to Amy. Rory, also. She wondered if they could give her advice for her lunch with the Doctor. She decided she would return to the TARDIS the next day and see if she could have another chat with Amy.

The next day, Rose managed to get herself up by nine. She took a shower and then headed out immediately. She really wanted to ask Amy for advice, so she decided she would have a pastry for breakfast at the café, and wait for Amy to turn up. When she got there, the counter was manned by an unfamiliar woman. She had red hair, like Amy, but was a bit older. The woman smiled at her, just as friendly as everyone else she had met in this place and said, "Hi, welcome to the TARDIS. How can I help you this morning?"

"Hi." Rose smiled back at the woman. Everyone was so welcoming at this café. "Could I please have a blueberry muffin and a coffee?"

"Absolutely." The woman got her order ready and Rose paid. Then she went to find a place to sit and wait for Amy. She had said that she worked every day except Sundays, so Rose knew she would be in at some point. Now that she had remembered her lunch, she was anxious to deal with it. As she was finishing her muffin her phone rang. Jack had insisted she set up international calling before she left, in case he needed to contact her while she was away. He'd said he might need to remind the Doctor of their meeting, or that the Doctor might need to reschedule. She assumed no one besides Jack would be calling her here, so she didn't even look at the caller ID, she just answered, "Hello, Jack."

"Rose! Rose! Oh, I'm so excited! I had to call you right away!" Martha's voice rang from the phone's speaker. Rose pulled the phone back from her head a bit at the volume of Martha's excitement.

She did a quick calculation in her head. It was ten forty-five in London that made it… "Martha, what is it, like five o'clock there? What is going on?"

"Yeah, I just got off a shift at the hospital. Mickey proposed! He was waiting up for me when I got here and he proposed! You'll be my maid of honor, right?"

For a frozen moment a wave of nausea rolled through Rose. She wanted to be thrilled for her friends. Of course she did. The two had lived together for a while now, but Martha had been consumed with med-school once she'd gotten there and then the residency, so they had never gotten married. Rose had always known they were headed there. The whole time she had known them. But she was still heartbroken over Adam and part of her felt bitter. Martha didn't deserve that, though, so she pushed down the emotions and did her best to congratulate her friend. Of course she would be her maid of honor. They would talk more when Rose got back. She sent them both her love and finally managed to shakily hang up her phone just a second before the tears spilled over.

She was more than a little disgusted with herself, which only added to her emotional upheaval. She did love Martha and Mickey, they were her best friends, and the closest thing she had to family these days. They deserved this happiness. She just felt so… alone. She realized she had felt that way even before she had caught on to Adam's infidelities, but his absence had made the loneliness… sharper. So she was disgusted at herself for wanting to cry over her best friends' wonderful news. And she was disgusted with herself because she was now weeping in public, and the woman at the counter was looking at her with curiosity and sympathy.

Thankfully, Amy chose that moment to come through the front door. She noticed Rose immediately and stopped in her tracks. "Rose! Oh my gosh, are you okay? What's wrong, sweetheart?" And she was rushing over with a concerned look on her face.

Rose looked up at Amy, and she had never been more grateful to see a friendly face in her life. "Oh, Amy. It's nothing." She tried to regain some semblance of control. "It's stupid, really."

"I'm sure it's nothing stupid if you're so upset. Come on. Tell me what's wrong." So, she explained about Martha's engagement, and why she wanted to be happy for her friend. And how she felt depressed and sorry for herself and how stupid that made her feel. Amy wasn't having any of it. "Rose, you just had a horrible break up, with a cheating arsehole. Of course you're a bit depressed about it. But, it'll be okay. You need to surround yourself with girlfriends while you're here. Donna and I would love to help with that. Let us take you out to the pub tonight." That was the name of the woman who had been behind the counter when Rose came in. She was a friend of Amy's who helped out in the café. She had joined them while Rose was explaining herself.

Donna spoke up, then. "Maybe you need a vacation bloke, too. Bet we could scare up a reasonable facsimile thereof any way, don't you Amy?"

"No. No 'blokes'. A girls' night would be awesome, though. Thanks, you guys. Really."

The three women looked up when the café door opened. Donna called out, "Oi! Spaceman, you're late this morning!" Rose barely registered her words, though. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to meet him until Monday. He definitely wasn't supposed to see her with her face a mess from her recent bout of weeping. Coming in through the doors of the TARDIS Café and looking at her with mild curiosity was Dr. James Noble.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

James

Donna was going to be mad at him. Again. Although it was her own fault, he thought with some irritation. If she would only learn to drive, or take public transportation, instead of insisting he come and pick her up when she helped out at Amy's café. It wasn't as if she wasn't aware of the fact that he frequently forgot to eat or sleep when he was wrapped up in a project. Much less remember to pick up his sister from her hobby-job. He was preparing himself for her inevitable tirade when he pulled open the door to the café. He had time to notice that she and Amy were standing protectively over a blonde woman who seemed to have been recently crying, when, sure enough, "Oi! Spaceman, you're late this morning!" A strange flicker of an expression that might have been mortification crossed the pretty blonde's face before she turned her face away from him.

He was surprised to notice that she was very pretty, even with her face red and puffy from tears. He'd really meant it when he'd told Jack months ago that he was finished with relationships. He didn't have the energy to divert when he was focused on work. He had, in fact, stopped taking notice of such things not long after his divorce had gone through. He didn't have the time to contemplate this oddity though, because he probably needed to apologize to Donna for being late. He approached the three women and spoke to his sister. "I am sorry, Donna. I'm almost finished with my project, and I wanted to be done before I meet with Jack's little friend on Monday. Didn't want to have to reschedule. At least I remembered to show up, and I think I'm only fifteen minutes late this time. That's got to count for something, right?" He smiled at his sister. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Well, you're lucky that this time, I was doing something anyway. Made a new friend. Amy and I are gonna take her out tonight, cheer her up. Rose, would you like to meet my very forgetful brother, James?"

The girl appeared to be trying to disappear behind Amy, which was rather a difficult task, considering Amy was a petite girl. At Donna's words, she turned slowly back to face him and offered him a sad smile. "Yeah. Hi. I, um, I actually know who you are, Dr. Noble. I think I'm your Monday meeting. I'm Rose Tyler." She looked like she was terrified of him. Him? What was terrifying about him? Impressive, perhaps, but terrifying? Surely not. And this was Jack's project girl? This was a girl Jack was _not_ trying to sleep with? Now that she was looking at him he could see she was beautiful. She had blonde hair and honey colored eyes and a full wide mouth. He thought she was probably stunning when she wasn't distraught over something. He felt actual shock at the turn his thoughts had taken. Why on earth should he think that? He tried to cover his distraction by smiling at her and holding out his hand as he stepped towards her.

"Ah, well, what a coincidence. Pleasure to meet you Miss Tyler. Jack spoke very highly of you." He went to shake her hand, and for a moment it seemed like everything was okay, like she was going to shake off whatever it was that she was so upset about. Their hands touched and he thought she tried to smile at him, but then her face crumpled and her eyes squeezed closed. She jerked her hand back.

"I'm sorry. Oh, God. This is a nightmare. I'm having a nightmare." Her eyes popped back open. "I'm sorry. I have to go." And she ran out the doors of the café. Amy and Donna looked as surprised as he felt.

"I seem to have interrupted something I'm not sure that I understand."

Donna shook her head at him. "Well, she was upset before, but I'm not sure what that reaction to you was about. Although, calling her 'Jack's little friend' might have been a touch patronizing."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that that was the girl I was talking about?" He decided being irritated with his sister was far easier than examining his own reaction to meeting Rose Tyler. Of course, being irritated with Donna was easier than most things. "What's she so upset about? Jack said something about personal problems, but he didn't go into details."

Amy spoke up then. "And why should we tell you? It's her business. You just met her, and apparently ran her off."

"Look, spaceman, she's just had a bad break-up, that's all. If she wants to tell you more herself, fine. But if I were you, I'd leave it alone. Talk computers with the girl like you're supposed to and stay out of her personal life. The last thing she needs is another incompetent male screwing her around."

"I'll have you know I'm highly competent. And I have no interest in her personal life. She's just a favor to Jack. I just wondered why she bolted, that's all."

Donna didn't look convinced and Amy looked speculative. "Right." Donna drew the word out for several seconds.

"So are you ready to go or what, then?"

"James." Amy spoke again. He wasn't sure he liked her tone.

"What, Amy?"

"We're going to take Rose out tonight. I think she really needs it. Since you two are apparently in related fields, maybe you'd like to join us? Make a better impression than the one you just made?"

"Amy, that poor girl deserves better than dumbo, here. He can barely remember to eat and if his head wasn't attached he would have lost it by now. She doesn't need another wanker who'll just ignore her."

"I am not a wanker," he protested. "And I have no interest in joining you all for a girls' night at the pub. Just make sure she still wants to meet on Monday. I'd hate to spend the time and have her decide she's too embarrassed to show up."

Amy and Donna gaped at him. "Yep, rude and not ginger," Donna muttered. Amy snorted. Donna gave Amy a hug. "Call me and let me know where we're going, yeah?"

"Sure. And James, if you change your mind…"

"I won't." I won't, he thought as he and Donna got into his car so he could drive her home.

Rose

Rose was drowning in bubbles in the very large bathtub in the bedroom she had claimed at Jack's flat. She was also drowning in mortification. She had been face to face with the Doctor, and it had been at one of her absolute worst moments. A complete mess from weeping over Adam and Martha and Mickey. She knew from checking the mirror on her return that she had looked like a total disaster. Hair sticking out all over, eyes red and puffy, cheeks flushed and streaked. She had managed to introduce herself, but then she had been unable to take it anymore and she had fled. She had run from him. He'd never want to have lunch with her now. She wouldn't be able to face him anyway. How could she explain? I'm sorry, I was in a vulnerable place and your gorgeous face was smiling at me and your hand felt so good touching mine that it was either throw myself at you or flee the building. And, God wouldn't that have been worse. Then she might not even be able to face Jack again. Forget about her master's degree. Dr. Noble would probably make sure she could never work as a programmer at all. And what would his wife have thought? She would have to cancel with Amy and Donna tonight. Donna was his sister. She didn't think she could face her either. What a disaster.

After her bath she steeled herself and called the number Amy had given her. She tried to cancel their night out but Amy flat refused. She said Rose had nothing to worry about, and that she and Donna were really looking forward to it. She hung up after making Rose promise to be ready at seven. Amy would pick up Rose and Donna both.

Rose sat in a booth at a pub, next to Donna and across from Amy. They had been there for about an hour. Since Amy was driving, she had had a single pint and then switched to water, but Rose and Donna were each on their third glass of wine. They were sharing an order of fries, which Amy and Donna had insisted were called chips. Rose had begun to relax halfway through her second glass of wine. They had been mostly making small talk, but she felt comfortable with these two women. It was odd to be so welcomed so rapidly. They hadn't even asked about her strange behavior earlier that day. She wanted to trust them, felt that she could, and they deserved an explanation. So, she told them about Jimmy, and she told Donna a bit more about Adam. That helped explain her reaction to Martha's news that morning, but not her reaction to Donna's brother.

That part would be more difficult. Donna was threatening to find the two men who had used her and castrate them and Amy had a fiery glint in her eyes. She interrupted Donna to say, "Of course, that doesn't exactly explain why I ran out, does it? And that part is harder, because… because, well, Donna, can you please cancel with your brother for me? I… Oh, this is really embarrassing." She covered her face with her hands.

After a few seconds, Donna said, "Rose? Why would you want to cancel? James said Jack called him and asked him to meet you as a favor because you were interested in what he does. Not that I can make any sense of that stuff, but… why?"

Rose sighed. She uncovered her face and took a gulp from her wineglass before she answered. "Because I've had a long-distance celebrity crush on him for years. I'm pretty sure I'm fragile enough right now to do something monumentally stupid if I'm alone with him. He's married and I'm a stupid girl with a broken heart and a crush."

Amy and Donna stared at her for a moment before they both burst out in laughter. Rose blinked and felt shame burning across her cheeks. What had she been thinking? She just met these two and she blurts out her worst mistakes and deepest held secrets? But then Donna stopped laughing enough to wheeze, "You think… You think spaceman stayed married? To that bint?! Ha! She was way too high maintenance. Seriously, if you're worried about ruining his marriage, don't. He's divorced. But, you might rethink that crush once you get to know him. Sure he's a genius. Smartest man in the room, any room. But he's rubbish with relationships. Friendships or romantic relationships. He'd much rather look at his code or his circuit boards than socialize. It's why I make him pick me up at the café. Otherwise he'd never leave his computers." She had regained her breath by the end of this statement.

Amy had calmed down enough to add, "Go to your meeting Rose. James is usually pleasant when he's not being rude or condescending. Besides, there's always that vacation bloke idea. He might be rubbish at relationships, but if you fancy him he might make a good fling."

Rose's mind was rebounding from her initial reaction to their laughter. Now she was struggling to make sense of this new revelation. He wasn't married… He was divorced… No, Rose, your picker is broken. And he's way, way out of your league. "Well, maybe I'll still go to the meeting. Can you at least apologize to him for the way I ran out this morning? But no flings, Amy. I'll be lucky if he's still willing to talk to me."

Amy and Donna looked at each other across the table before Donna looked back at Rose with a gleam in her eye. "Oh, he'll talk to you alright. Don't you worry about that. He'll be on his best behavior."

James

After dropping Donna off, James tried to go back to working on his project, but he was unable to focus. He sighed, and took his glasses off, pushing slightly back from his desk. His mind kept flashing the image of Rose Tyler's crumpling face as she lost her tenuous grip on her self-control. He had no idea what he could have possibly done to upset her and it bothered him. It bothered him a lot and so did the fact that it bothered him. Donna had said she'd been through a bad break-up and he wondered if that was the personal problem Jack had alluded to. Not that that explained her reaction to shaking his hand.

For that instant before she had pulled back, her hand had felt so soft beneath his fingertips. He wondered how much softer other parts of her would be… He shook his head and tried to clear it of images of Rose Tyler's skin under his fingers. What the hell?! In the past he had ruined relationships repeatedly because of his inability to focus on the relationship to the detriment of his work. Now, here he was, unable to focus on a project because he was fantasizing about a woman he'd just met. A woman who had run from him. A woman one of his closest friends had asked him to keep an eye on. Help out, not prey on like a letch.

He looked at the clock and saw it was six. Maybe he would give Jack a call. Ask him for a few more details on Rose Tyler. Just so he wouldn't upset her again, of course. It was only polite. It was absolutely not because he just wanted to know about her. He wanted to ease their interactions. He would not ask Jack about her relationship preferences. Not at all. Just about her as a programmer, and maybe about that bad break-up, so he could avoid conversational pitfalls. Things like that.

Jack

It was two o'clock in the afternoon and Jack was in his office grading quizzes. He was still thinking about the conversation he had had with the Doctor earlier that day. His friend wasn't supposed to meet Rose until Monday, but had apparently run into her by coincidence at the café his sister helped out at. She had apparently been having a meltdown, but James' sister, Donna, and her friend Amy had taken her under their wing and were taking care of her. He wasn't surprised that she'd had a meltdown, that was part of why he'd wanted to send her in the first place. What was surprising had been the Doctor's apparent reaction to seeing Rose upset.

He had called Jack full of questions about Rose's relationship history. It seems Donna had told him she'd had a bad breakup, but wouldn't tell him any details. So Jack didn't give him any either. Then the Doctor told him what else had happened in the café. Rose had introduced herself to him. He said she'd seemed terrified, but he'd gone to shake her hand, trying to put her at ease. When their hands touched, she jerked away, then apologized and ran out of the café. With no explanation. This was the part James seemed most upset about. Jack didn't know quite what to make of her reaction, but he assured the Doctor that she was probably just embarrassed that he'd seen her crying. He'd made sure that the Doctor was still planning to meet her on Monday then they'd said good bye.

Jack had spent the time since trying to make sense of Rose's strange reaction to meeting the Doctor. He thought about the conversation they had had the day he convinced her to go to London. It had been the day after she'd found her boyfriend cheating. He'd joked about a vacation fling, thinking about the Doctor, and she'd told him her picker was broken. Maybe… Maybe she's attracted to him and that's what scares her? He could already tell from the way the Doctor had asked his questions about her that his friend found her intriguing. And he couldn't fail to notice her beauty. The Doctor might be mostly oblivious, but he'd made it clear on occasion that he was definitely interested in women.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

Rose

Saturday passed in a hungover haze for Rose. She rarely overindulged and now she remembered why she rarely overindulged. She hadn't been able to face the idea of wandering around, and she definitely couldn't have managed to keep up with a tour, so she spent the day laying around the flat and doing very little at all. She made frozen pizza and drank lots of water and lots of coffee. She didn't even have the energy to worry about her upcoming lunch with the Doctor.

No, that didn't arrive until Sunday. Of course, that was the day that Amy wouldn't be at the café, and Rose didn't want to bother her at home, so she tried to wander and distract herself that way. The walking itself was quite nice. But she couldn't hold back the anxiety she felt about seeing him again. Now that she knew that he wasn't married, at least she didn't have to worry about ruining his relationship. But there was still the fact that she found him devastatingly attractive. To the obvious detriment of her intellect. And he was her mentor's friend. Who was only doing Jack a favor. 'Jack's little friend', he had called her. And she had inexplicably run from his presence on Friday. After falling apart on his sister. A sister to whom she had drunkenly confessed her attraction for him. Surely they wouldn't tell him, would they? Crap. It probably didn't matter about him being divorced. She was such a basket case she'd never make it through lunch with him.

As she walked back towards the flat she told herself to get a grip. The girls wouldn't have told him her secret. When Donna had said he'd be on his best behavior, she had probably meant that she'd tell him not to be rude, as both she and Amy had insisted he frequently was. She was fairly certain she would be oblivious to any rudeness that came out of those lips, even directed at her. Which was actually the problem, given her history of less than stellar relationship choices. That was how she needed to frame this in her mind, she decided. Any man she was attracted to was inevitably bad news, so she would have to be detached. He was beautiful, but dangerous. The same way a panther, or a thunderstorm were both beautiful and dangerous. Best viewed from a distance.

James

Saturday, James was finally able to set aside his thoughts about Rose Tyler enough to get back to work on his project. He worked all day and then straight through until around four am on Sunday morning when he completed the project and promptly crashed. He would submit the final version to the client on Monday before his lunch with Rose. He flopped onto his bed fully clothed and fell asleep with thoughts of their previous encounter and his conversation with Jack drifting through his mind.

Like Donna and Amy, Jack had been close-mouthed about Rose's history. The only new thing Jack had supplied in that department had been that she had been in several relationships where she had been badly taken advantage of and that one of them had ended recently. He'd thought at hearing that that maybe she was uncomfortable around men, but Jack had seemed as baffled by her behavior as James was himself.

It was so very unusual for him to find himself so fixated like this on a person. Interesting programming project? Sure. Coming up with creative, more efficient ways of solving a problem? Sounds brilliant, he could get lost in that for days. But people rarely held his interest for long. Certainly Reinette hadn't been able to do so, and she'd been beautiful enough. She'd also been a massive mistake, one he wasn't keen to repeat any time soon. It wasn't that he was uninterested in sex. No, as his unexpected fantasies about Jack's graduate assistant had reminded him, he very much did enjoy sex. But it was usually more work than it was worth. He wasn't really the type of man to have a one night stand, and he simply couldn't give enough attention to any woman worth having to make it worth her time.

Late Monday morning, James had already sent off his project and he was now getting ready for his lunch with Rose Tyler. He was still feeling conflicted. On the one hand, he couldn't remember feeling this fascinated by another person in… Well, so long that he couldn't actually remember when. Which made him want to spend the rest of her trip getting to know her if she could be gotten over her strange fear of him. Particularly now that he had a clear schedule for the moment. His mind lit briefly with an image of the two of them together in one of the beds in Jack's lavish flat. He was positive he hadn't fantasized this much since he was a teenager.

But, from what he could tell, she had been misused by the men in her life, and he wasn't by any means sure that his fascination wouldn't be a short-lived thing. He had no desire to give her a repeat performance of the thing that had sent her on vacation in the first place. He got the impression that Jack would be most pissed off with him if he were to hurt Rose Tyler in that way. Not to mention the fact that Amy and Donna would likely try to take turns beating him black and blue. Donna had called him and threatened to set Amy loose on him if he wasn't a perfect gentleman with Rose. He might be an idiot when it came to relationships, but he did know his own shortcomings. So, he would keep this professional and pleasant and ignore whatever this strange attraction was that she held for him. Decision made, he checked his appearance in the mirror and picked up the small selection of cryptography books that he had chosen for her. They were less advanced than the textbooks he had written and would serve as a good introduction for her. If she worked through them all, she should be ready to tackle his own. He left his home and headed out to have lunch with Rose Tyler.

When he arrived at the restaurant for their lunch, he saw that she was already there. She was fiddling with the silverware nervously when she noticed his approach and stood. He almost turned around and ran right then. Only the sure knowledge that his sister would hunt him down and force him to apologize in person kept him moving forward. She was wearing a knee-length light pink sundress and she looked like a vision of perfection to him. Had he thought Reinette was beautiful? He remembered thinking before that she would be stunning if she weren't distraught as she had been the last time he had seen her. Oh. He had drastically miscalculated. He would just have to lay the babble on heavy and end this lunch as quickly as he could without being rude. He could give her the books and claim another meeting later in the day. If he didn't… He swallowed. He needed to get thoughts of seducing Rose Tyler out of his head. Otherwise, his American friend, his intimidating older sister and her frankly sometimes terrifying Scottish friend would probably cheerfully bury him somewhere obscure if he were to lose interest.

Rose

Rose had agonized over her outfit for this meeting before leaving home. She had agonized over it again this morning before finally settling on the sundress she had originally chosen. Then she had made sure to arrive at the restaurant fifteen minutes early. She needed to compose herself. She had decided to treat this like any other meeting with any other professor. She would apologize for her behavior (though she wouldn't be able to explain it), then allow him to lead the conversation. She was fidgeting with the silverware when she looked up and saw him approaching.

He looked even better than she remembered. Or he had taken special care with his appearance. Which was, of course, absurd. She stood to greet him and hoped he wouldn't be able to tell how her heart was racing just at the sight of him. She knew she had to be blushing. "Dr. Noble. Hi, I am so sorry for my behavior the other day. I was… well, I was just having a bad day and I'm really sorry about that. I hope you won't hold it against me?" He was shaking her hand and he was smiling at her and oh, his hand felt so good. How can someone's hand feel so good? She thought as she remembered to release it. She felt a silly grin stretch her cheeks.

He was still smiling as they took their seats. "No, no problem. I see no reason why I should." They lapsed into an awkward silence as for a moment, both still smiling. Their server approached at that moment and took their orders. Rose felt her smile fall after the server left. Detached. Professor. Dangerous. Right. After that their lunch progressed awkwardly. He presented her with some books that he had brought for her. She tried not to stare at his lips. He seemed uncomfortable as well, looking everywhere but at her face as he rambled. His smile stayed in place though, even though he wasn't exactly looking at her. And she found herself entranced by the sound of his voice. He was clearly keeping his discussion of algorithms to her level based on her responses, and the information was really fascinating. But the rich tones of his accent were making it harder for her to concentrate on the words themselves. Or on her resolution to keep things professional.

Then their meal was over. She was feeling a bit weak-kneed from the experience, and the next thing she knew he was shaking her hand again (how can that feel so good?) and telling her how pleased he was to meet her, and wouldn't she tell Jack hello for him, and he was sure Donna would want to see her again before she left London. He looked into her eyes just once through this entire rapid-fire stream of words. Right at the end he looked straight at her and gave a little half-smile, so different from the manic grin he had worn throughout their meal, then turned and walked away without another word.

James

Lunch with Rose Tyler had been… painful. Well, maybe not painful. Definitely uncomfortable. Particularly in the trousers region. She had apologized for running out of the café the other day and she had blushed and smiled and his urge to run was completely forgotten. She had shaken his hand, properly this time, and, yes, her hand was just as soft as he'd remembered and he had to restrain the impulse to stretch his fingers to stroke her wrist. He had started out with a smile on his face and it never left his face throughout their meal. But after they placed their order, her face lost some of the glow it had held, and his smile had felt more like a mask. So he had steered the conversation to the topic they had intended to discuss.

By the end of the meal, that urge to run had returned, although he now had a selection of additional reasons to add to the list. She was just as brilliant as Jack had said. He had tried to judge her knowledge as they talked and keep his conversation at a level she could grasp, and she had kept up amazingly well. She had this habit of chewing her bottom lip when she thought about something that was incredibly distracting. He'd had to intentionally direct his attention away from her face in order to avoid staring. She took a moment near the end of lunch to tell him how much she appreciated Donna and Amy's friendship. Now, the problem was he could see what Jack meant about her. She was special.

Yes, she was beautiful, but she was more than that. Which presented its own set of problems. Such as the fact that he most definitely wanted her. Physically, oh yes. He had the fantasies and the uncomfortable lunch-time erection to prove it. But he also wanted to know her. He wanted to know who had hurt her and how. He wanted to drag her back to his place and show her some of his personal side projects. He wanted to see how she would tackle a challenging programming problem. He wanted to see her light up with project-completion excitement. And he wanted to light her up in other ways. He wasn't really worried any longer that he would lose interest in her. But it was inevitable that he would get involved in another work project which would take up all of his time, and she deserved better than that. Donna had been right. She didn't need another wanker who would just ignore her. And as much as he'd like to be able to say that wouldn't happen, he really couldn't. So he had forced himself to walk away from her. He had had no idea just how difficult such a thing could be.

He went home and tried to throw himself into one of those side projects. He knew that he was too distracted to take on a new work project right now, but he really needed to think about something other than Rose Tyler. He tried to wrestle with the complicated algorithm for a new security protocol that he was developing, but the characters just swam before his eyes. Instead of prime number manipulations and modular arithmetic he kept seeing honey gold eyes and full lips. He leaned back in his chair with a groan. He needed a cold shower.

The shower did help get his body back under control, but failed to clear his head like he had hoped. He was putting on a faded t-shirt that read "I failed the Turing Test" over a pair of jeans when his phone started ringing. There wasn't anyone he really wanted to talk to right now, but he had a suspicion he knew who was calling. He looked at the display before answering. Sure enough. "Hello, Donna. I promise I was perfectly polite."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

Rose

Rose walked slowly back to Jack's flat in a daze after her lunch with the Doctor. She had tried to hold up her end of their conversation, but with him not looking directly at her it had been easy to fall into staring at him. She was pretty sure his discomfort was an indication that he'd regretted agreeing to meet her. He'd probably only done so because he felt obligated to Jack. Or possibly because he had been threatened by Donna. Which was probably worse. She didn't know whether to be relieved that it was over or disappointed that she would likely never see him again.

He had seemed to be in a rush to leave once their meal was over, yet another indication that he regretted agreeing to keep her company. Then there was that half-smile he had given her the only time he had actually looked at her after the start of their meal. It had been… regretful? Sad? She wasn't sure and it had been so different from the expression he had worn previously. She didn't know what to make of it.

She had reached Jack's flat by then and stopped just inside the living room as she came to a sudden realization. He had been uncomfortable. He hadn't wanted to look at her. He had left in a hurry and smiled regretfully. He knew. Of course he knew, he's a genius. It probably took him about thirty seconds of observing her to realize she was attracted to him. Probably the same amount of time it took him to shift to focusing on her forehead, or a spot just above her left shoulder. She felt humiliated and furious with herself for not realizing sooner that she was embarrassing herself. The lunch had been a disaster, and she hadn't even known it!

She slumped down on Jack's immaculate sofa. At least she knew now whether to be relieved or disappointed. She was definitely relieved that she would not have to try again to be unaffected by him. She was clearly not able to do so and it had clearly made him uncomfortable with her. She tried to distract herself with one of the books he had brought her, but she was preoccupied with her shame and couldn't focus on the words on the page. She placed the book she was trying to read back on the coffee table with the others and decided that she would feel better if she took a nap.

Rose woke groggily a few hours later to a dim flat and a ringing phone. She blinked in the darkness as the sound penetrated the sleep-shrouded fog in her brain. She didn't look at the display when she answered, "Hello?"

"Rose! It's Amy. Hey, listen, Rory and I wanted you to come to dinner tomorrow night if you don't have any plans." Apparently Amy didn't care that she had to dial an international number every time she wanted to talk to Rose.

"Oh. Um, sure. Yeah, I don't have any plans. What time? And should I bring anything?"

"No, don't bring anything, just yourself. I'll send Rory to pick you up around six-thirty tomorrow. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Amy. I… I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. I feel really lucky that I walked into your café on my first day here."

"You are very welcome. Now, to the more interesting segment of the conversation. How was your lunch with James? He swore to Donna he was nice to you, but she seemed to think he was hiding something. So, spill."

Rose groaned as she remembered her revelation about his behavior at lunch. "Oh, god, Amy, I was just awful. I must have been painfully obvious, because he could barely look at me."

"He what?!"

"He was perfectly polite. But it was obvious that I was making him uncomfortable. He couldn't get away fast enough once lunch was over."

"Hmmmm. I'm not sure that qualifies as 'perfectly polite', Rose."

Rose closed her eyes and sighed. "Look, it's not his fault. He probably deals with girls with crushes all the time. It's probably horribly annoying to him. Please, don't say anything to him. I'd rather he forget about me altogether than remember that 'Jack's little friend' was making moon eyes at him throughout lunch."

"Okay. I'm letting this go for now. I can't promise you've heard the last of this, though. And I still can't believe he called you that. See you tomorrow night?"

"Yeah. Bye, Amy."

"Bye."

James

His conversation with Donna hadn't gone according to plan. He had managed to avoid peppering his sister with questions about Rose, and he was fairly certain he had masked his preoccupation with her. Donna, however, seemed to know that there was something he was hiding. When Amy had called him a few hours after his sister to insist he join them for dinner at her place on Tuesday, he was sure he was going to be facing further questions about his meeting with the graduate assistant. He had tried to claim that he was busy, but Amy had threatened him with Donna (why were those two always threatening him with each other?) if he didn't show up.

So, Tuesday evening he was pulling up to Amy and Rory's house. He was expecting hamburgers and an interrogation from his sister. He was not expecting Rose Tyler. But there she was, getting out of the passenger side of Rory's car and turning to notice him parking behind them. She was wearing jeans this time and a pink tank top and she was still beautiful. Her shocked expression appeared to mirror his own emotional state. Then she was turning and hurrying towards the house before James could even shut the car off.

So. His sister and Amy were meddling. Donna must have read something in his voice and decided to set them up. And Rose looked… not happy to see him. In fact, she looked very not happy to see him. This led to several emotional responses. He was angry with his sister and her friend for upsetting Rose. The force of that particular response was a revelation of its own. He was also angry that they were interfering in his personal life, but that portion of his anger was less. That's just something Donna does. He also felt sharp disappointment that Rose seemed so upset to see him. But, that part was probably his own fault. He had left her rather abruptly on Monday afternoon. And his attempts to keep himself distant might have come across a bit… well, rude. That was him, after all, wasn't it?

Well, Rose didn't deserve to be put through this just because his sister always had to meddle in his personal life. He would have to find a way to interact with her that his sister didn't consider rude and that would allow him to remain… distant. The part of him that was still angry on Rose's behalf whispered that distance with her would be impossible. He groaned and went to join the others in the backyard.

Donna

Donna stood in Amy's kitchen looking out the window at the backyard. Amy and Rose were sitting at the backyard table. Rose was still recovering from the shock of discovering James had been invited tonight. She and Amy had both assured Rose that she had nothing to be embarrassed about and that James was frequently abrupt with everyone. It was true that the American girl didn't need to be embarrassed. Donna had spent the last ten minutes watching her brother. He was standing with Rory and Lee by the grill. But he was clearly paying more attention to Rose's location than to whatever the other men were talking about.

Poor Rose! She thought James was avoiding her because her unrequited crush had made him uncomfortable. But Donna knew her brother. He was likely completely unaware of the girl's feelings. No, he was avoiding her for an entirely different reason. His eyes kept finding the back of her head where she sat with her back to him at the table.

When she had called her brother after his lunch with Rose he had seemed unusually reticent. Before their lunch he had expressed curiosity about her, asking about why she was upset and trying to get Donna to tell him more than she had about Rose's history. After the lunch, he had seemed to be expressly avoiding asking her anything about Rose, and gave only vague answers to her own questions about their meeting. She had suggested this dinner to Amy so they could observe the two of them reacting to each other. They already knew Rose had a thing for James. Now, Donna was positive her brother was absolutely enamored of Rose. He'd never even been that aware of his wife. The problem was that Rose would never believe her with the way he had been avoiding her and James was acting as if Rose were forbidden fruit. It was bloody ridiculous!

Donna already liked Rose far more than she had ever liked Reinette. And her brother might be brilliant, but he needed someone to remind him he was human sometimes. If Donna could find a way to nudge them towards each other… She didn't think her brother would hurt Rose the way the other men she had attached herself to had, and he was obsessive when he was passionate about something. She stopped her pondering as she watched James break away from the other two men. Rory turned and watched him as well as he marched over to the table and sat next to Rose, just far enough that they weren't touching. Donna smirked. Maybe James didn't even need a nudge.

Rose

Rose had been shocked and then mildly irritated with her new friends when she discovered that the Doctor was also a part of tonight's dinner. Amy and Donna had hurried to assure her that she had nothing to be embarrassed about, that he wasn't aware of her crush. So she had let Amy lead her to this lovely picnic table in her backyard. She had been introduced to Donna's boyfriend, a nice man named Lee with a slight stutter. The Doctor had said hello to her very briefly before joining Rory and Lee around the grill. When she had greeted him with a shy smile and, "Nice to see you again, Dr. Noble," he had told her that she was welcome to call him James. Instead of avoiding her gaze like he had at lunch he had looked in her eyes as he said this and smiled warmly at her. This caused her stomach to flip and she felt her cheeks flush and then he was turning away. She and Amy had sat at the table, while Donna had disappeared somewhere.

Shortly before dinner was served she was startled when James Noble sat right next to her. He wasn't quite close enough to be touching her, but it felt like every nerve in her body was straining in his direction. He didn't say anything at first, just smiled at her again, and oh, his eyes were warm, too. He simply watched as she and Amy continued to chat about not much at all. She was acutely aware of his presence, but he wasn't acting at all the way he had at their awkward lunch. Now, if she looked in his direction, he always met her eyes. She began to think that perhaps Amy and Donna were right, and it had been something else that had caused his odd behavior at their meeting. Maybe something totally unrelated to her even. That thought allowed her to relax in his presence.

As the evening wore on James began to draw her into conversation on various computer related topics. Eventually she became so wrapped up in their conversation that she even forgot he was supposed to be dangerous to her. The other four looked on in amusement as they talked about things no one else at the table understood. Then Rose looked up and realized it had gotten quite late. They were the only two people left outside. She looked back at James and said, "I should probably ask Rory to take me back. I'm so glad I got to talk to you again before I leave London, James." She couldn't help it. He had been giving her genuine smiles all evening and she couldn't help but smile at him. He had been as sweet as he was gorgeous and she was truly glad she had had this second opportunity.

"Ah." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I, uh, I'd be happy to take you. If you want. That way Rory doesn't have to get out. I know where Jack's flat is and he mentioned you were staying there. Unless you'd rather I didn't…"

Rose's heart began to hammer. He wanted to take her home. He couldn't mean… Could he? No, Rose, he's just being nice. James seemed to see her hesitation as a rejection of his offer as he said then, "Right, yeah, sorry, I'll just go-"and he started away towards the house so she hurried to stop him.

"No. Wait. James. Sorry, you just surprised me. That would be lovely. Thank you." She went into the house with him then and said goodbye to the other four. Rose blushed when Amy winked at her after they told them James would be driving her home. She really hoped he hadn't notice that. Then they were in his car and they were making small talk on the way and Rose was fiddling with her earring nervously. The closer they got to Jack's flat, the more vigorous the butterflies in her stomach became. They pulled up to the building, he put the car in park and turned to her.

"Rose. I know you probably have plans for the rest of your stay, but if you want, if you have time before you go, I have some things I work on, on the side, at my house, if you want to see?"

He was pulling on his ear and he looked nervous. Nervous! It was adorable and endearing and she was responding before she even thought. "No, I really don't have any plans, at all for this trip. I'd love to see some of your projects. When did you have in mind? I'll be leaving next Tuesday, so any time before then is good, really."

"Brilliant! I could, I could pick you up tomorrow? Maybe around eleven?"

He was beaming at her now and she knew she probably looked the same. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder for a brief moment. "I'll see you then, James." She exited his car and walked into Jack's flat in an entirely different sort of daze than the one she had experienced yesterday. It wasn't until she had showered and crawled into bed that she realized she had agreed to spend more time alone with him. She couldn't find the energy to be upset with herself for forgetting to keep her distance.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6**

James

James was in trouble and he knew it. Avoiding conversation with Rose at dinner at Amy's house would have been the most effective strategy for keeping detached, but he had known that the two red-heads would not let him get away with that. At first he'd tried to attach himself to the conversation Rory and Lee were having but his eyes kept returning to Rose where she sat with Amy at the table. It hadn't taken him long to give up on avoiding her as a pointless effort. He'd walked away from Rory mid-sentence when the urge to be closer to her had grown overwhelming.

He'd sat next to her and she'd smiled at him. He'd felt another piece of his resolve crumble to dust at the sight of that smile. It wasn't the nervous or embarrassed smiles she had given him at their other encounters, but was instead warm and genuine and how was he supposed to think about anything besides kissing her when she smiled like that? So, rather than doing anything insane, he had watched her talk to Amy until the burgers were done and everyone sat to eat. It would have been rude not to speak to her during their meal, right? He had started talking to her then, and soon they were wrapped up in a technical discussion and he had forgotten that they weren't entirely alone. She was just as brilliant as he had remembered, and her eyes sparkled when she got excited. When she grinned, her tongue would peek out from between her teeth and he absolutely was not wondering what else she could do with that tongue. Nope. Not even a little bit. That would not be detached and he was completely detached. He was enjoying the stimulating conversation. That was all. There was no other stimulation involved, none whatsoever.

When she had indicated that she was going to have Rory take her back to Jack's flat, he hadn't been able to stop himself from offering to drive her there himself. He had not wanted their time together to end yet. Which was silly. She would be leaving London in a week and he was detached. He had already done as he had promised Jack and met her; once she left he would never see her again. That unbearable thought circled his mind as the drive to Jack's flat became awkward. He was frantically sorting through ideas for seeing her again without implying anything… anything. Because there wasn't anything to imply. They were… colleagues. That was it.

He hadn't yet come up with anything especially appropriate when they arrived at their destination. This was it, she was going to leave. He wouldn't see her again, and then she would be in another country on another continent in another bloody hemisphere. He couldn't stand that, so he turned and asked her the first thing that popped into his head. Then she was agreeing to come to his house and he was asking to pick her up tomorrow and he was pretty sure they were both grinning like loons. She touched his shoulder for a moment and then she was leaving. He had to restrain himself to keep from reaching out and stopping her. Even knowing that he would see her again tomorrow, he did not want to let her go. That was an entirely new experience for him, and it was how he knew he was in trouble. It was that same compulsion he felt when anything truly captured his attention. That part was familiar. But he'd never felt that magnetic pull from a person before. He'd also never given up on something that gave that pull until he was convinced of his own mastery. And he was fairly certain that mastery of Rose Tyler was an impossible ambition. Yep. He was definitely in trouble.

Rose

She spent most of the next several days with James. Wednesday he brought her to his home and they looked at his side projects. Then, he had shown her his collection of vintage video games and they had spent all afternoon and evening in a marathon gaming session. Complete with all of the pizza and junk food they could eat. By the time he dropped her off after midnight she knew she'd been fooling herself to think that she had any chance of keeping her distance. He was just as easy to get along with as Amy and Rory and Donna had been. They had been sitting pressed against each other on his sofa and every nerve in her body had been hyper aware of every point of contact between them. That night he gave her a hug and a soft smile before leaving her for the night. If she had thought his hand felt good, it was nothing to the amazing, oh-so-transitory feeling that hug left her with.

Thursday he took her on the Bletchley tour Jack had mentioned back when he had first convinced her to take this trip. He spent the entire tour giving her a running commentary on just how inaccurate the guide was. Their laughter resulted in the two of them being asked to leave the tour group early. James had winked at her, grabbed her hand and told her to run. They had left behind a baffled tour guide when they ran off giggling together. His long fingers had felt perfect wrapped around hers.

That night they sat on the grass in his backyard and watched the stars. As well as they could through the light pollution of the city. Of course one of his other degrees was in astronomy. He told her about the stars and how he had always wondered what it would be like to travel out there. He took her hand in his and used it to trace the constellations as he talked. She tried to fix the moment, the feeling, in her mind, to hold onto it forever. When he dropped her off he hugged her again, and that hug lasted slightly longer than the one he had given her the first night. After, he had gripped her hands for a moment before murmuring, "Good night, Rose Tyler."

That was when she remembered she was playing with fire. She had wanted that hug to go on. She had wanted it to turn into something more, and there had been some strong emotion swimming in his eyes as well. But she would be leaving in a few days, and she would probably never return to London again. The chances of him ever turning up in the college town she called home were slim to none. She went to sleep that night telling herself that she wouldn't spend all of her remaining time in London with him. She wouldn't. She couldn't. She was already getting too attached.

Friday she meant to tell him she was busy. She did. But he'd called her insisting that he needed to give her a British tea experience and she had had to know what he had meant by that, so of course they spent the day together again. He proceeded to take her from one tea house to another for most of the day. She lost count after the fourth. That night they watched old movies on his sofa and ended up curled up together. His arm was around her shoulders and her head was leaned against him.

They still sat like that when the movie they had been watching ended and he said softly, "What happened, Rose? Why did Jack send you here, really?" His hand around her shoulder was tracing soft circles into the skin there. She wanted to live in this moment, when he still had no reason to judge her. But he was Donna's brother, and if she didn't tell him now, he would find out eventually. So she told him. Just as she had told Jack all those weeks ago, she told him about Jimmy and leaving school. Then she told him about returning to school and meeting Adam. And then, she told him how that had ended. She couldn't bring herself to look at him as she detailed her major life mistakes. When she was finished she knew that even if James thought she was a stupid child and didn't want anything to do with her, she would never cry over Adam again. He had at least given her that.

His hand had stilled near the end of her explanation, and he remained silent after she finished speaking. She was still too scared to look at his reaction. As the silence went on, she was sure she had made a mistake in telling him. Sure, she may have realized that she was over Adam, but now James was disgusted with her stupidity. When his voice came, there was a tension she couldn't identify. "Rose, look at me." She turned reluctantly, preparing herself to lose the… friendship they had built over the last few days. She swallowed at the look of intensity on his face. "No one should go through that. Least of all… You deserve much better than that, don't you ever think otherwise. You are brilliant."

He reached up and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear before suddenly leaning back and clearing his throat. He took his arm from around her shoulder and took her hand before pulling her to standing. He continued holding her hand, and it still felt as fantastic as it had every single time. "Rose, I-"He rubbed at the back of his neck, something she had learned he did when he was nervous about something. "I have some things I've been putting off that I need to take care of this weekend, but… Can I take you to dinner on Monday? Our first lunch wasn't… Well, I wasn't at my best, and I feel like I owe you a proper meal before you… leave."

"But, we've had lots of meals since then."

"Yes, but, well, I'd really like to. If you want."

She thought he was trying to say goodbye and her heart filled with sadness that she wouldn't get very much more time with this incredible man. "I'd really like that. Thank you. Really." He led her out to his car and drove her back to Jack's flat in silence. He didn't seem to be ignoring her, just lost in thought. She felt relief that he had been so accepting of her past. He hugged her goodbye again, a long, lingering thing this time, and the feel of his body pressed against hers was amazing. His smell was amazing. He was amazing. Her head was swimming with it. Then he was pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and a whispered good night and then he was gone.

James

James struggled to find a semblance of control after he left Rose behind at Jack's flat on Friday night. Every night he had told himself that he wouldn't spend any more time with her, that it would just make it harder when she left. And every morning he had found another reason to spend the day with her. He couldn't recall ever feeling so out of control. Every time he walked away from her he was consumed with even more thoughts of her. And that was only the emotional impact that she was having on him. That didn't even touch the effect she was having on him physically. He had tried, so hard, to keep things platonic. She would be leaving very soon, now and there wasn't a thing he could do about that. But over the days he had spent with her he had found the compulsion to touch her overpowering. He'd mostly contented himself with holding her hand. Friends could hold hands, right?

Then he'd let himself hug her goodnight after the first day they spent together, and he had been unable to break the habit. Or even stop himself from allowing the hugs to linger longer each time he gave in to the temptation. Her soft curves pressed against the planes of his own body, some intoxicating scent in her hair that he couldn't identify, arousal zinging through his veins… But tonight, after she'd finally trusted him enough to share her relationship history, he had wanted to hold her. Lust had given way to something deeper, which he was not yet prepared to name. Letting go had been hard, and he'd wanted much more than the kiss he'd given her forehead. He'd really, really wanted to make the bastards who had hurt her pay, but mostly he had wanted to convince her that she was worth more than either of them.

He remembered the origins of his resolution not to get involved with her. A resolution which had been fracturing since the moment he had made it. His reasons, well, they remained. He was still going to be working and he would still have a tendency to be focused on that to the exclusion of all else. It was how he worked. And Rose still definitely deserved someone who wouldn't forget her or take her existence for granted. He knew that if they were to become involved, he'd never cheat on her the way she had been in the past, but that hadn't been the only way they had mistreated her. Jimmy Stone had apparently cared more about anything and everything than Rose. Adam Mitchell had apparently used her as a support structure of some sort. No, he would never cheat on her, but was it still true that he would take her for granted? Could he even be what she needed? He really didn't know, but he knew that for once in his life he felt inadequate. She deserved more than adequate. She deserved someone who would give her the universe and put her first in their life. He knew without doubt that she would always do so. When Rose Tyler did something she did it with her whole heart.

He didn't actually have anything that he needed to 'take care of over the weekend' but he needed the time to examine his motives and decide what he wanted to do with their last evening together. Or, maybe, if it should be that. He hadn't actively pursued a woman since before Reinette. He hadn't even actively pursued her, it had been the other way around with her. If he decided to pursue Rose Tyler, then she deserved to have the best experience he could give her. And he had the money to give her the best. If she even wanted to be pursued. But even if he decided not to do that, she deserved a fantastic going away dinner. When he got back to his house he took the cold shower that had become his nightly routine and crawled into his bed. He knew that there was one person who would be happy to give him her input on the topic and he knew that tomorrow he was going to seek her out and ask for just that. He could already hear his sister's laughter as he fell asleep. He dreamed about Rose Tyler, just as he had every night since their Monday lunch meeting.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

Donna

When Donna's phone rang on Saturday morning the last person she expected to be on the other end was her brother. She hadn't spoken to him since dinner at Amy's house on Tuesday, but the way he and Rose had become so wrapped up in their little world that night, along with the fact that he had taken her home had led her to the conclusion that he would be spending his time with Rose until she went back to the states. She knew that Amy had asked her to dinner again on Sunday, as a farewell to their new friend. She had assumed that he would be there and that she wouldn't hear from him until then. So she was surprised to see his number on the caller ID, and surprised when her hello was met with, "Donna, I never thought I would say this, but I need your advice."

"Really? For what? Have you screwed up with Rose already, Spaceman? I hope you haven't done anything stupid. I really like her, so you'd better not be stringing her along. "

"I am NOT stringing her along. I also really like her. That is why I am swallowing my pride and asking for your advice. Can I come over?"

Donna was momentarily stunned by this. She had tried to talk him out of marrying Reinette and he had told her to butt out. Now he was asking her for help? He was a goner. "Yeah, of course. Are you coming now?"

"Yeah. Probably be there in about thirty minutes. And, Donna, this is just between you and me, okay?"

"What kind of an idiot do you think I am? Now, get a move on, I don't want this to take all day."

When James arrived, Donna realized that it was worse than she had thought. She let him in and they moved to her living room, where she sat on the couch and asked him, "So, what's the problem, then?" But at first he just paced around the room.

Finally after about three minutes of this she was just about to shout at him to stop before he made her dizzy, when he turned and said, "Rose told me about Jimmy and Adam."

She blinked, aborting her shout. "Ookaaay. And is that somehow a problem for you? Is she suddenly not good enough for you because some wankers took advantage of her kindness?"

He pulled on his hair, like he did when he was frustrated. "No! Is that what you think of me? Seriously, no, that is not the problem. No, the problem is that I, I like her. No, I mean, it's more than that. She's… She's brilliant, and kind, and funny, and people have taken advantage of her. Men have taken advantage of her. And I, well, I'd like to be there for her, but you know how I am. I can't remember to feed myself when I'm working. I forget to sleep until I pass out. I am rubbish with relationships. I don't want to be selfish because she's amazing, and end up being another man who's taken advantage of Rose Tyler."

Donna thought about this. "How much time have you spent with her, since you left Amy's on Tuesday night?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked sheepish when he answered. "Um. All day Wednesday, all day Thursday, and, um yeah, all day yesterday. I told her I had some things to do this weekend, and I wouldn't see her again until Monday."

"All day and all night, or just all day? Cause that's fast for you." She looked at him suspiciously.

"Just all day! I took her back to Jack's flat every night. And slept at home. After taking a cold shower."

"So. You dropped everything to spend three days with her, went home sexually frustrated every night, haven't touched her, and you're afraid you might ignore her? In some nebulous future where you might suddenly no longer find her 'amazing'? Is that what you're saying? Because I have to say that that sounds daft even by your screwed up standards for relationships."

"I didn't exactly say that I haven't touched her."

Donna felt her eyebrows try to climb up into her hairline. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing! I've, well we've held hands. And, I've hugged her goodnight. Last night I kissed her forehead."

"Her forehead. So yeah, you haven't touched her."

"Well. I wasn't exactly sure it would be welcome. And after last night, after she told me about them, I just…" He groaned. "I want more than a quick shag, and she deserves more than a quick shag, but she is leaving the country to go back where she came from in four days. Less, really, because she's leaving early on Tuesday. I'm taking her out Monday night, but I don't know what to do. I think it might be better for her, easier, if we just part as friends. I can't ask her to stay. She's still got another year on her master's degree. I could follow her to the states, but eventually I'd get bored and want to go back to work, and then what? I really don't want to hurt her, Donna. She's had more than enough of that."

"I wasn't supposed to say anything to you. I promised her even. But I think you need to hear it. You know she fancies you, right? She has for years. She was terrified of that lunch meeting because she thought you were still married and she was afraid she would throw herself at you or something. She was afraid of what REINETTE would think of her and of destroying your marriage. Personally, I think you'll be a lucky man if she'll have you. And if you walk away from her you'll have only yourself to blame. Judging by the state of you, you definitely more than 'like' her. Are you going to be at dinner at Amy's tomorrow? I assumed you would be there because the two of you looked inseparable the other night, but if you told her you were busy this weekend, not sure how you'll work that one out."

"I… I wasn't planning to go. I was planning to spend the weekend making a decision."

"Can you see yourself waiting, here, for her, for a year?" He shook his head. "Can you see yourself waiting, there, with her, while she finishes?"

"Maybe… I don't know."

"Well, then here's my advice, little brother. You don't have to decide right away. You can part ways as friends, just like you suggested. After she's gone, you can see if you still feel the same. If you do, you go to her, spend a year in the states, no big deal. You can do whatever you both want after. If she leaves and you don't miss her, well, no harm done. Although, I think we both know that that last scenario is unlikely. And you should come to Amy's. You shouldn't waste any of the time you have if you're going to let her leave without telling her how you feel."

"And you think you know how I feel?"

"Seems pretty obvious to me. Haven't ever seen it on you before, but still recognizable."

"Don't say it. I can't even think it. But I will come to Amy's tomorrow. I'll tell Rose I finished my errands early. I think I was fooling myself thinking I could stay away, anyway."

She smiled at him. "Look, I know it's scary. You don't think I was scared after Lance? But Lee is worth getting over that fear. Is Rose worth it?"

Rose

Saturday Rose wasn't sure what to do with herself. She had spent the past three days wrapped up in James and she had almost managed to forget that she was leaving soon. That this wasn't her life. Their conversation last night and the feel of his lips on her forehead had been a sobering reminder. That friendship with James Noble was an ephemeral moment. That anything more with him was an impossible fantasy. They lived two different lives, from two different worlds, and his was so far above hers that it might as well be up among the stars he had told her about.

She wouldn't be seeing him today, since he had said he had things he needed to do. She felt guilty about monopolizing his time. He was, after all, a very busy man with an active career. He had put his life on hold to spend a few days with her, when all he had promised Jack was the one lunch with her. She also felt more than a little disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing him until dinner on Monday, and that that would most likely be the last time she ever saw him. That thought made her want to curl back up in bed and spend the rest of the weekend in the flat. But she hadn't been back to Amy's café since the day she had run from James, so she decided that she could at least do that much. She didn't want her new friend to think she had forgotten about her kindness. And she hadn't purchased any souvenirs for her friends at home, either. With that thought she forced herself to get moving and get herself ready for the day.

She spent a few hours buying uninspired gifts for Martha, Mickey and Jack. She realized during this time that she hadn't thought about Martha and Mickey's engagement at all since she had started spending time with James. Remembering her agreement to be maid of honor brought none of the bitterness she had felt previously, which was a relief. She could at least go home and help her friends have the wedding they deserved and she could even be happy about it. After she had finished buying her friends' gifts she located a flower shop and bought a colorful bouquet of flowers and headed to Amy's café.

It was just after noon when she got there and Amy herself was still behind the counter. "Rose! Hi! Good to see you!" Amy came around the counter and gave her an awkward hug around her shopping bag and the flowers.

"Hi, Amy, here these are for the café." Rose handed Amy the flowers she had purchased on the way.

"Oh, they're lovely, thanks! You're still coming to dinner tomorrow, yeah? We'll start earlier this time. I'll send Rory for you around five?" Amy took the flowers and began arranging them in a piece of art glass behind the counter which was apparently a flower vase.

"Of course I'm coming! I'm going to miss you guys so much. You, and Rory, and Donna, you've… You've made me feel like family, so, thank you. Are you sure I can't bring anything?"

"No, nothing. But. You could totally give me the details on what happened when you left with James the other night." Amy gave her a mischievous smile. "The two of you seemed to forget the rest of us were there after a while. So, is he your vacation bloke after all?"

"No!" Rose knew she was blushing. He was just her friend. And they lived thousands of miles apart. She was nobody, and he was a genius. No matter how much she might wish it were otherwise, they could only ever be friends. "I mean we spent a few days together. I think we've become friends, even. But he's been a perfect gentleman, completely platonic." A voice whispered that last night's hug hadn't really felt platonic. "Anyway, I'm leaving in a few days, and I could never do a fling. I commit, whether it's wise or not. And I definitely couldn't do a fling with him. He's too perfect and way, way too good for me. But I am really glad I got the chance to know him a little better. "

Amy gaped at her. "Perfect?! James Noble? Are we talking about the same man? Too good for you? Rose, believe me he is far from perfect. And no one is too good for you. From what I saw on Tuesday, if he hasn't made a move, it's not because he's not interested. I've frankly never seen him act that interested in another human. Not even his outrageously needy ex-wife. He is, however, frequently a coward when it comes to anything not related to a computer." Amy shrugged at her. "Maybe you need to make the first move."

Rose sighed. "Amy, were you not listening when I said I am not wired for flings? I commit in a relationship. Why would I want to start something that's going to send me home more heartbroken than when I got here? Because that's what will happen. I'll go home, and he'll stay here, or he'll go wherever his next project is, and I'll never see him again. And he may not be a perfect person, because yeah, who is, but I know, deep in my bones I know that getting over him would make getting over Adam and Jimmy both feel like getting over a grade-school crush. So, I'm going to be grateful that I got to be his friend, because that's all we'll ever be."

James

He told himself he was still undecided when he left his sister's house. But he had thought of an errand that he did want to take care of today. He would not follow Rose immediately, whatever he decided, but he wanted to give her something to remember their time together, regardless of anything else that might happen. He had a friend who was a talented silversmith. He wanted a bracelet, and a few specific custom charms made. He was hoping that his friendship, and unlimited funds, would expedite the order enough that he could give it to her before she left. Probably at dinner on Monday. He would see her at Amy's on Sunday, but he wanted this gift to be something between the two of them. Perhaps the start of… Who was he kidding? Donna had seen right through him. He probably wouldn't make it a week before he followed her across the ocean. He was struggling to go for two days without her company. A year waiting for her, trying to focus on some work project or other was starting to sound like torture. A year with her, playing house in an American college town, watching her finish her thesis was starting to sound like an adventure.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8**

Rose

Sunday afternoon Rose was delighted to find that James had finished his weekend errands in time to be at Amy's for her farewell dinner with the group of friends. She tried to remember that it was only friendship, but she couldn't help feeling pleased that he had once again made time for her. He sat next to her all evening, but this time they remembered that they were a part of a group dinner and chatted with everyone at the table. Rose once again allowed herself a few glasses of wine after Amy insisted that they would make sure she got home safely. At that James had declared that he would take her back to Jack's flat again, and he had switched to drinking water.

They were enjoying a fantastic chocolate mousse that Amy had made and Donna was telling Rose the story of how she and Lee met when the doorbell rang. Rose was listening to Donna and barely registered Rory leaving the room to answer the door or the soft voices that drifted from the other room. She did notice when Rory returned and said, "Sorry to interrupt, Donna, uh, James, there's someone to see you." Rory looked decidedly uncomfortable. James looked startled at this news, but he excused himself and left the table. Rory rejoined them and Donna continued her story, but Rose felt unsettled.

While Donna finished her story, Rose moved from unsettled to ill. She excused herself and went towards the guest bathroom. On the way, she passed the living room. Just inside the open front door, locked in a passionate kiss stood James and a tall, stunning blonde woman. Her arms were wound tightly around his neck and his hands were gripping her hips. Rose suddenly felt as if all the air had left the house. She couldn't breathe. There was a loud ringing in her ears. And she was definitely going to be sick, now. She turned and rushed past the living room and flung herself into the bathroom just in time to lose all of the wine and most of the meal she had had.

She had just had the presence of mind to lock the door behind herself. In almost no time at all there was a knocking on the bathroom door. "Rose. Rose, let me explain." It was him. Oh, god. Why did she have to get so attached, always?

She tried to clear her voice enough to be heard through the door. She couldn't face him right now. "You don't…" She stopped and tried again. "You don't owe me an apology. Or an explanation. We aren't… You don't owe me anything. There's nothing to explain. I just… I got sick at the table. I'm sorry I interrupted you. Tell your girlfriend, I'm sorry." Why hadn't Amy or Donna said he had a girlfriend? Is that why Rory had looked so uncomfortable?

"Rose, that's not-"

"I'll get a cab, back to Jack's tonight. I'm sure she's been missing you, with all the time you've been spending with me."

"Rose-"

"Just go, please," she whispered. Please. Please. "Just go. I'm… I don't feel well. I'll just go back to the flat." She was sitting on the floor in the bathroom, now, with her back against the door. She heard a muffled sigh and then footsteps walking away.

James

James had never felt quite so excited about dinner with his sister and her friends before. His silversmith friend had been quite happy to take on the order he had placed on Saturday, and had assured him that the piece of custom jewelry would be ready for him to pick up by noon on Monday. It had been while he was describing the charms he wanted made for her that he had realized that he had already made his decision. That he had maybe made it before he even called Donna. He really couldn't stand the idea of an entire year without Rose Tyler's smile. When he'd finished with the jeweler he'd made a reservation for Monday at a romantic little restaurant Donna had raved about when she had first started dating Lee. He planned to give her the bracelet at dinner and offer to take her to the airport on Tuesday morning. After she left, he'd make arrangements for the long term care of his house and then he would surprise her by showing up at her home. He figured it would be easy to make a year-long project out of showing Rose Tyler that she deserved the world. After she graduated, well, they could work together. He could easily insist that she be a part of any project that wanted his expertise.

He'd never even imagined such a future before. When he had married Reinette, it hadn't been for the right reasons. She had been beautiful, and she had pursued him with insistence and it had been flattering. He'd thought being married would be easier than being single. But they hadn't really had anything in common, despite her father's company, and there had been little she enjoyed less than for him to bring any discussion of his work home. That would never be a problem with Rose. He and Rose could get wrapped up in the work together. That prospect was almost as thrilling as the thought of finally crossing the line between friendship and something more with her. And that was quite thrilling as it was, thank you very much. His fantasies and dreams had only become more vivid as he got to know more and more about her.

It was almost a physical relief to be sitting next to her again. He was careful not to monopolize her this time, mindful of the fact that these people had become her friends, too, and she wouldn't be seeing them again soon. He was watching her face light up with enjoyment at their company, and a small corner of his mind was making a list of the things he needed to do in preparation for leaving the country for a year. Her eyes were sparkling and her face was flushed from the wine and god, she was beautiful. He was calculating how quickly he could accomplish everything and listening to Donna's story with half an ear when Rory left the room to answer the door. It took him by surprise when Rory returned after a few moments looking uncomfortable and said, "Sorry to interrupt, Donna, uh, James, there's someone to see you." He didn't think anyone even knew he was here, and his phone hadn't rung all night.

He apologized and excused himself from the table wondering who on earth could be looking for him here, and why it made Rory so uncomfortable. Rory got along with everyone. He was considering the various government organizations he had done security work for when he entered the living room and stopped in his tracks. Standing in the open doorway was Reinette. He clenched his jaw before striding over to her. "What are you doing here?"

"James," she purred at him and he ground his teeth together. How had he ever found her appealing? "I've missed you so much. I was a fool. I arrived from Paris last night and it took me until now to find you. I'm sorry if I hurt you Jamie. Please, take me back. You won't regret it I promise." She put a hand on his chest and looked at him through her lashes. "I can be a good girl Jamie. I've learned from my mistakes."

"I don't want you back Reinette. I'm not sure I ever wanted you, really. Can't remember what I saw in you at the moment. Now, I would like you to leave. Please. And I hate it when you call me that." He was trying to remain civil, but how dare she come here, with Rose in the next room? She left him! And he had never been happier about that fact than in this moment.

She just stepped closer to him and said, "I know you don't mean it, Jamie." Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Hard. He was so shocked that he stood frozen for a moment. Then he grabbed her hips and tried to move her away, but she only clung to him harder. So he gripped her with more force and pushed her off. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone run past the doorway towards the guest bathroom. Fuck! Rose!

"What the bloody hell, Reinette! We are divorced! I do not want to kiss you and I do not want you back. I want you to leave and I don't ever want to see you again! I am not your toy and I am not available. GET OUT!" Then he turned without waiting to see if she would leave and ran to the bathroom in the hall. She must have seen Reinette kissing him. Fuck! Her stories about the other men who had abused her rang in his ears while he begged her through the door to let him explain. She sounded so broken through the door, worse than even that first day, when she had run from him. No. No. He did that. That sound in her voice, he put that there. Well, fucking Reinette helped, but if he had just fucking made up his mind sooner… She was telling him there's nothing to explain and shit! She thinks Reinette is his fucking girlfriend, but he doesn't have a girlfriend, she's the one he wants and he wants her to be more than his fucking girlfriend and how in the bloody hell is he supposed to fix this? Then she was begging him to leave, to just leave her alone and he knew then. What he should've known all along, because he can't deny her anything, anything, not even this. So he sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled back to the dining room and the condemnation of his friends. He barely paused at the living room to notice that Reinette had indeed gone.

The four in the dining room were sitting in silence looking at him with wide eyes. "Um. What did… What did Reinette want?" Rory asked him tentatively.

His emotions were a roiling ball of frustration and anger. Frustration with himself and this situation, and white hot rage at Reinette for showing up here and causing this… this fucking nightmare. He sighed explosively. "Apparently she thought it would be appropriate to show up here and declare her decision that we should get back together. I told her to leave and she… she grabbed me and fucking kissed me and Rose…" His anger left in a wave to be replaced by dejection. "Rose saw and she, she thinks that Reinette is my girlfriend, and basically, yeah, I am a great big giant ass. Which, I am."

Donna shot to her feet. "Well go tell her, you idiot!"

"I tried, Donna! I'm pretty sure she's in there being _sick_ about the whole thing, but she begged me to leave her alone, so that is what I am doing. I'm… I'm just going to leave. Please, don't just stick her in a cab, someone, please, take her back to Jack's flat. Tell her… Tell her I still want to have dinner tomorrow night if she wants. I want to explain in person. I'll… I'll send a car for her tomorrow evening. Just tell her I'm sorry she had to see that."

Donna looked at him sadly. "Don't you want us to explain?"

"Don't you think she deserves to hear it from me?"

"She may not want to hear anything from you if we don't explain it to her," Amy interjected.

"Then I deserve that for letting her think for a moment that I wasn't serious about her. It's my fault, so I need to fix it. If she'll let me." He couldn't wait to hear what else they had to say. He left and drove home in a depressed haze, wondering how he could have let Reinette, of all people, drive him from joy to despair in three minutes time.

Rose

By the time she cleaned up enough to face the people she had left in the dining room James had gone. Of course. She was barely aware enough to tell them that she had gotten sick and needed to go. Rory said he would take her and she tried to tell them that she could take a cab but all four of them insisted that that was not going to happen. Lee patted her awkwardly on the shoulder and Amy gave her a tight hug and a promise to call as often as she could and to email even more. When Donna gave her an equally tight hug she whispered, "It wasn't what it looked like. I swear. Let him explain." She just shook her head numbly. The ride to the flat passed in silence. When they got there, she went to open the car door, but stopped when Rory broke the silence.

"Rose. I know you don't know me very well, and I don't know you very well, but Amy cares about you. And I care about you. I know you've been through some things and I can't pretend to understand how you feel, but I do know that whatever you thought you saw, it wasn't what you think it was. James still wants to take you out tomorrow, and he made us promise that we would let him explain. For whatever it's worth, I think you should at least hear what he has to say."

She wanted to, but… "I don't know if I can, Rory. I'm leaving anyway, and… maybe it's better this way. I have to go back to my world, and that is very far from his. But thank you for everything, Rory. Amy's a really lucky girl." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and then went into Jack's flat and closed the door. She let the tears consume her. Tonight she would mourn something that never could have been and tomorrow she would see if she could get her flight moved to an earlier one. She had had enough of London. It was time to go home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

James

Monday was a painful blur for James. It wasn't a physical pain, but a vicious, soul-searing emotional angst such as he had never known. He picked up the bracelet he had ordered and it was perfect. It was a delicate silver chain with larger links spaced throughout for charms. There were only four charms on it for now, but there was space for quite a few more along its length. He made arrangements with the limo company to have Rose picked up at six thirty for their seven o'clock reservation. After that, there wasn't anything for him to do but worry.

He had never prayed before, but he found himself praying to the universe, or any deity out there who might be listening, that she would still come. He wanted to call her but he didn't want to try to explain Reinette's behavior over the phone. Particularly since he didn't exactly understand what had brought it on in the first place and he didn't care. He wanted to go to Jack's flat and beg for her forgiveness, but he didn't want to crowd her in the only place that she could possibly see as her own here. At one point he tried to write out a list of the things he needed to take care of if he wanted to leave the country, but he got more depressed thinking about the fact that she might not want him to come to the states so he gave that up. He could deal with all of that after he talked to her.

He made sure to arrive at the restaurant early, but he waited outside so he could be there to greet her when the limo brought her. The box with the charm bracelet was in his pocket. At five minutes until seven his phone rang. His heart sank when he saw that it was a number attached to the limo company. "Hello."

"Is this Dr. James Noble?"

He sighed. "Yes, this is Dr. Noble. Who is calling?"

"Hi, Dr. Noble, my name is Craig, I'm the driver with the limo company you hired for tonight."

"Yes, Craig. Is there a problem?"

"Well, I'm at the address that you specified for pickup, but there doesn't seem to be anyone here. Are you sure we have the right address?" He recited the address for Jack's flat to the man. "Yes sir, that's where I am. I've rung the buzzer several times over the past twenty minutes, and no one has answered. I don't believe that anyone is here, sir."

His head filled with a buzzing as he realized that she was gone. Gone. She hadn't just skipped dinner, she had gone. Home. She had left London. He never told her… never explained… He realized the limo driver was waiting for a response to some question he hadn't heard. "Oh. Right. Sorry for the mix-up." He told the driver his services wouldn't be needed, but that yes, of course he would still pay the full fee, then he was hanging up and staring at the phone in his hand. The box in his pocket felt like a hot coal. He dialed her number (please, pick up, please) but it went straight to voicemail.

He drove home with a single word echoing in his head. Gone. She was gone. He had ruined relationships before. He'd made a lifelong habit of it, really. But killing one before it even began was a new record, even for him. Feeling devastated about it was completely unprecedented. He walked into his house and collapsed on the couch. Usually, when a woman became disgusted with him and walked away, he would just move on to whatever the next thing was that had captured his interest. He hadn't ever become emotionally attached. Intrigued, yes. Attracted, certainly. But not invested. So it was never a problem for him when they became bored or felt neglected and said goodbye. Often it came as a relief, as it had with Reinette.

He couldn't even consider walking away from this. He should have listened to Donna. He should have let them explain, or waited at Amy's so that he could explain in person, right then. Now she had gone home, and Jack was going to hate him, too. Jack! He sat upright. Jack could help. He could go to Jack, and he would help him get Rose to listen. Jack knew all about Reinette. Surely he would help. He'd just have to keep Jack from pounding his face until he could explain what had happened.

He jumped up and grabbed his phone, his mind running rapid-fire through the things he'd have to do to make this plan work. She had to listen. After, if she still wanted to walk away, he would let her. But he couldn't let her think that he would treat her the way those other men had. He couldn't. And he couldn't let her think that Reinette was anything, anything at all to him. "Donna. I need you. Rose is gone. She must have left early, because there's no one at the flat."

"Oh, James. I'm so sorry. I wish you'd let us explain Reinette to her."

"I know. I'm going to follow her. I need you to take care of my house until I can make other arrangements."

"Of course. Let me know when you get there, when you know something, okay?"

"I'll call when I can."

Rose

Even though it was only early afternoon, Rose felt like it should be early morning the next day already. Tuesday afternoon she was dragging her luggage into the tiny apartment that she called home. It seemed particularly small after two weeks in Jack's luxurious flat in London. Leaving almost eighteen hours earlier than planned had resulted in her arriving home only about twelve hours ahead of time. Moving to an earlier flight had meant taking longer layovers, but Rose had been eager to put the fantasy behind her and return to her own reality. She had chastised herself, both before and after the incident at Amy's house on Sunday, not to read anything into his intentions. He'd never promised her anything, or even implied anything. He was far above her and she was lucky he had taken an interest in her at all, even as a friend.

But Amy had seemed convinced that he was interested in her romantically, and the time they had spent together had felt… Well, it had felt special to her. Her traitorous heart had simply had to get attached. It had felt almost like a fairytale. But it couldn't have been special to him if that kiss was any indication, regardless of Donna's insistence that it hadn't been what it looked like. Even though he had never given her a reason to think that there was anything but friendship between them, she still felt like her heart was shattered into tiny shards when she saw him kissing another woman. They hadn't even been together and she didn't know how she was ever going to get over Dr. James Noble.

She left her luggage just inside the bedroom doorway and fell into her bed, still fully clothed. She could deal with everything tomorrow. Right now she needed the grounding reality of her own bed, in her own home, in her own country.

Jack

Wednesday afternoon, Jack was trying to decide what to do with his anger. He had sent Rose to London hoping that she and the Doctor would find a kindred spirit in each other. He had been sure that his two friends would be great together and for each other. He had not expected to send Rose to London to get over one cheating bastard only to have her heart broken again. She was in an even worse state now than when he had sent her. He had had no idea that James had had a girlfriend (thought you were done with women, Doc) and he had certainly not expected him to lead Rose on and then make out with his girlfriend in front of her. Jack was tempted to fly to London himself and kick some sense into the man. Instead he was going to stay here and help Rose pick up the pieces. He felt responsible, in a way, for introducing them in the first place.

He had decided to leave the office for the day when his phone rang. He was utterly shocked to see that it was the Doctor. That bastard! "What do you want, Doc? Haven't you done enough already?" he answered.

"Jack! Please. Just listen. I know you're probably furious with me right now, and with good reason. But just listen."

"I'm not sure how you're going to explain completely destroying the dear friend that I sent to you so that she could heal. Why would you spend time with her, make her think you were interested, if you have a girlfriend, James? I never thought you were cruel. And after Reinette-"

"That's it, Jack! It was Reinette! It was not a girlfriend. I don't have a girlfriend. It was Reinette."

"So, what, you got remarried, and you still spent all that time with Rose, holding her hand, leading her on? That is sick, James. I think I'm done."

"NO! Jack, do not hang up! You have it all wrong. We did NOT get remarried. I want nothing to do with Reinette. She showed up, out of nowhere, that night. I have no idea why. And I don't care. She kissed me. I was so shocked by that that I froze for a second, then I shoved her off. I did NOT kiss her. Rose must have walked by just in time to see the kiss, but she missed my reaction and I never got the chance to explain. Please, Jack. Please. I need to see her."

Jack closed his eyes and sighed. "So, let me make sure I'm understanding your side of this story. Reinette showed up and kissed you, for some unknown reason. Rose saw, and she misunderstood, because you are not still involved with Reinette. Or involved with her again. Is that it?"

"Yes. I never got to explain, because she was really upset and she, she asked me to leave so I did. We were supposed to have dinner on Monday before she left and I'd hoped to explain then. But she never came. She went home a day early instead. I need her to understand."

"And what exactly do you want with Rose? Why is it so important to you that you get to explain to her? She was quite clear that there were no promises, or implications between the two of you and that she must have misunderstood your interactions, although, frankly, I find that hard to believe. Why not just chalk it up to another relationship blunder on your part and move on like you always do? In short, why should I give you the chance to hurt my friend again, Doc?"

"I need her, Jack. Please. Don't make me say it when I haven't even told her. Please."

"I don't think she's gonna want to take a call from you, you know."

"I know. I'm here. I followed her as soon as I knew that she was gone. I just got in, haven't even found a hotel, actually."

"Wait. You're here, as in here in the US?"

"In this state, in this town, yes Jack. I'm here. I need to see her, Jack."

"Don't bother with a hotel. I'll text you my address. I have an extra room. I'll meet you there. If you mean it… If you're serious, I might help you. Might. You're gonna have to convince me you're serious about her first though, Doc. I sent her to London heartbroken; she came back shattered into a million pieces and I'm not putting her through that again."

Rose

Even though she wasn't due back at work until the following week, Rose forced herself to go into Jack's office Wednesday morning. She intended to thank him for the trip, and the use of his flat, and the spending money, and everything that he had done for her. And she did that, but she also had a breakdown in his office when he asked her about James. It wasn't Jack's fault, and she didn't want him feeling guilty. She made sure to point out that James hadn't actually done anything wrong. He'd been a gentleman the entire time, and hadn't done anything inappropriate. It was only her own… Her own fault, for misreading him. She found out that the man behind the genius she had read about was far more desirable than she had even imagined, and it wasn't his fault he was so damn appealing. So perfect for her. Or so taken.

Thursday Rose had lunch with Martha to talk about the wedding plans, and so that the two friends could catch up. Rose was surprised to find that she was able to be excited for her friend despite her own semi-depressed state. She was able to set aside her heartache while they talked about flowers, and colors and the places Martha had been considering for the reception. Eventually, though Martha asked for more details about her trip and the sadness returned.

She felt herself growing morose as she answered Martha's question. "Oh. Well, I met some lovely people and made a few new friends. There's not much to tell, really."

Martha's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Doesn't sound like not much. In fact, you look pretty upset about something. What happened?"

"It's silly Martha. It was all me, just got caught up in the… experience I guess. I met a Scottish woman who owns the café I went to on my first day, and her fiancée. They were fantastic, just sort of adopted me like family or something. There was Donna, too. She works in Amy's café sometimes. She's…" Rose sighed. I will not cry, I will NOT cry here. "She's Dr. James Noble's sister. He was the one Jack arranged for me to meet there. The encryption specialist friend of his. We…" She paused to swallow and try to collect herself. "He and I, we spent about three days together. He was…" Sexy. Brilliant. Perfect. Taken. "I thought we were heading towards something more than friendship, but I got it wrong. He has a girlfriend. I accidentally interrupted them kissing, and I just…" she trailed of as she fought to remain in control of her emotions.

Martha reached out across the table and grabbed her hand. "Oh, Rose. That is… I'm sorry. Why would he lead you on like that?"

"That's just it, Martha. He didn't. It was all in my head."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

Rose

After her lunch with Martha on Thursday, Rose felt emotionally drained, again. That evening, she was in the process of deciding how much energy she was willing to put towards her evening meal when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Rosie, hey, it's Jack."

"Oh. Hi, Jack."

"Rose, listen, I have a huge favor to ask. But first, do you trust me?"

"Jack? What do you mean? Of course I trust you. And I'd say I owe you at least a handful of favors. What's wrong?"

"Well, it's kinda complicated actually. Would you mind coming over to my place tonight? I… I want to get your opinion on something."

"Sure. Um, when do you want me to come over?"

"Any time would be fine. Whenever you're ready."

"Okay. I'm just gonna grab something for dinner then I'll come by."

"Thanks, Rose. I'll see you when you get here."

It was seven by the time Rose got to Jack's house. He met her at the door with a hug and led her to his living room. This house was larger than the flat in London, but with a much more lived in feel. She had been here before, usually for social gatherings. He sat in a chair and she curled up on the couch before he spoke. "I'm really glad you came, Rose. There's something I need to talk to you about. You know that I have your best interests at heart, right? That I really care about you, as a friend?"

"Of course, Jack. What's wrong? Please don't feel guilty over what happened with… what happened in London. I told you, it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault really, except for mine. You don't have to… well, anything. I don't blame you."

Jack sighed. "I know that you think that, Rosie. And I know that you don't blame me. But there are some things that you don't know about what happened in London, and I think that you really need to know."

"Jack, you don't-"

"No, Rose, please just listen. This is… well, it might change the way you feel about what happened. It might not, but it's important enough that I need you to at least listen, okay?"

It was her turn to sigh. Even as she fought to hold back yet another bout of weeping over having to revisit this situation again. "Is this the part where you try to convince me that it wasn't what I thought? Because I've already heard that one, but I know what I saw. Maybe she isn't his girlfriend, but they were definitely kissing. So, I'm not sure why everyone seems so intent on forcing me to acknowledge my own foolishness. He doesn't want me. End of story. Life goes on."

"No, Rose, it's not even the whole story to begin with. That woman was NOT his girlfriend because he doesn't have a girlfriend. That was Reinette Poisson, his ex-wife. And, he didn't know why she was there. She kissed him, he pushed her off. You just didn't see that part, since you were in the bathroom being sick. It was all a horrible misunderstanding."

"But…" Her mind spun as she considered whether or not this new information made any sense combined with what she had seen. The woman had clearly been clinging to him and he had been grabbing her. Maybe… "Did he call you and tell you all this? Why didn't he call me? Why didn't he tell me that night? Or the next morning? Or any time at all, really? Why am I hearing this from you, Jack?" A tiny part of her was hoping that it had indeed been a misunderstanding, but she was terrified to give in to the hope only to be shattered again.

She looked up in shock when a new voice came from the other side of the room. "I tried to tell you that night, but you told me to go. It killed me, but you begged me to go, so I did. The next morning I wanted to call you or come by the flat but I was afraid of crowding you. I hoped you would come to dinner and let me explain." James was slowly and carefully approaching her from across Jack's living room as he continued to speak. "Then you didn't come to dinner, and I realized that you were gone. I couldn't stand the thought of letting you think that… that that kiss meant anything. But I knew I couldn't explain on the phone from across the ocean, either. So here I am. Please. Give me a chance. There isn't anyone else. I want you, Rose." He was standing in front of the couch now. Rose felt paralyzed. How could he be here? He had followed her here just to explain? He pulled something from his pocket and held it out to her. It was a jeweler's box. "I had this made for you. Before everything went to hell on Sunday. I intended to give it to you Monday. At dinner."

She took the box numbly. "But…" She swallowed, and tried to continue in a stronger voice. "It would never work. You live in London, or wherever your latest project is. I live here. You'd grow bored of me, or resentful, or find someone more exciting, because let's face it who isn't, and I… I'm so tired of hurting." She couldn't keep looking into his eyes, so she looked down and opened the box in her hands. Inside was a beautiful silver charm bracelet. There were only four charms on it. Her breath caught as she lifted the bracelet to examine the charms.

The first was a tiny, silver Q*bert. How in the world? He must have had that custom made, because she found it highly unlikely that the jeweler just happened to have a charm like that on hand. She was sent back to the day they had spent playing video games at his house. That had been the game she had been most excited to find in his collection. Just a silly little game with a quirky main character, but she hadn't played it in years, and it had made her happy.

On first glance the second charm appeared to be a tiny typewriter. As she looked at it more closely, though, she saw a row of dials above the keyboard. It was a tiny enigma machine. There was even a handle at the front of the tiny machine, where the plug-board would be located and could be changed. The details on that charm were intricate. She remembered the tour they had taken, and been ejected from, and she almost began to smile. There was no question this charm was unique, what store carries enigma charms?

The third charm was more easily recognized, and the memory it referenced was equally obvious. It was a teapot. The third of the days they had spent together, the day they had visited the tea shops. Also the day she told him about Jimmy and Adam.

The last charm was something of a puzzle to her. It wasn't that she didn't recognize it, it was that she couldn't tie it to any particular memory of anything they had done together, unlike the first three charms. It was the Greek letter pi. She looked up at him finally. He was watching her warily as she had inspected the charms. "Pi?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, well, it seemed kind of… well, profound at the time but it seems kind of silly now."

"What does it mean?"

"Right, well, ah, the number represented by pi is irrational, but it's everywhere. Just like… It's also defined in terms of, and inextricably linked with circles. And circles are symbols of, well. Eternity, and other such concepts… And I won't grow bored of you, or resentful, or any such thing, and I won't be doing it from the other side of the ocean, either. I won't find someone more exciting because there isn't one and hasn't ever been. I'm not going anywhere. For as long as you'll let me stay. Please let me stay."

She shook her head, dazed by this entirely unexpected turn of events. She looked over to Jack for help, only to find that he had left the room at some point. "But, what about your work? What… Don't you have jobs that need doing? That need your personal expertise? I've got another year here, you… You can't possibly sit still and not work for that long…"

"Oh, I absolutely could." He gave her a heated look. "I'm feeling highly motivated to do just that." He held out his hand for hers. She took it and let him pull her up to standing, then fasten the bracelet around her wrist. Could this possibly be happening?

"When did you have time to have this made?" She touched the enigma machine charm. "This has to be custom made."

"I have a friend. A silversmith. He expedited the order. I can be persuasive when I need to be." He was looking at her like she was the answer to all of the questions he had ever had.

"Yes." He wanted her? That woman wasn't his girlfriend. She was his ex-wife and he didn't want her, he wanted Rose. She wanted, so badly, to just give in, but the terror was still there. How could he possibly want her? "Yes, you can." She felt breathless as he stepped even closer. She had to tell him, before she lost control of her thought process. "But, I can't… I can't just… I need some time, yeah. Are you sure?" She whispered.

"Never been more certain of anything in my life. I'll spend as long as it takes, doing whatever it takes to earn your trust, Rose Tyler." He reached up and cupped her cheek with one hand and she couldn't stop herself from leaning into the touch and closing her eyes. This was real. He was here and he wanted to stay. He wanted her. "I was going to follow you any way. Before… Well, before. Nothing's changed." His face had gotten closer as he murmured these words and then, then he kissed her. Not on the forehead this time. On the lips. It was soft, and she found herself responding without thought. Before she knew she had moved, her arms were around his neck and his were around her waist. Had she thought holding his hand felt amazing? Or those brief hugs goodnight? It was nothing, nothing compared to the feel of his lips on hers, every inch of their bodies pressed together.

James

He had never been more relieved, ever, than when he realized that she was going to let him stay. Then he'd kissed her and it had been sweeter than his imagination had been able to conjure. Why, why hadn't he just done that before? He'd wanted to keep doing that, but then he would have wanted to also do other things. Things Rose was probably not ready for, and things that he definitely didn't want to do in Jack's living room. So, he had reluctantly released her and they had sat together on Jack's couch. At that moment, Jack's head appeared from the kitchen doorway, "Did you kids get your misunderstanding worked out, then?"

He sighed and watched Rose turn a most appealing shade of pink as she realized that they had had an audience for their snog. "Yes, Jack, I think it's safe for you to come out, now."

"Great! So, will you be staying here, or will you be moving in with Rosie, then?"

Rose turned an even deeper shade of red, so he hurried to answer, in an attempt to spare her embarrassment. "Well, I thought I would look for my own place, actually. I didn't want to impose on Rose, or put any pressure on her. But, I don't want to be rooming with you permanently, either. Is that, is that okay, Rose?" He didn't want her to think of this as a rejection, because he would be more than thrilled to go home with her, but he didn't want her to think that he was making any assumptions, either. He'd meant it when he said he'd do whatever it took, for as long as it took. He wasn't ready to say the words yet, and she wasn't ready to hear them. He wouldn't have her thinking he'd said it just to convince her. But he hoped she understood what he had been trying to say with the fourth charm.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think that sounds… wonderful. But, can you really stay for so long? I mean, work, and money, and you're not a citizen or anything, and…"

"Rose, I don't actually have to work. I've… well, I've been in high demand for a number of years, and I've worked nearly non-stop. I stopped needing to earn more money a long time ago, and I mostly work because I love it. But it's no hardship to give it up for a time. And, I'll have no trouble getting a visa to say as long as I like. And there are some jobs I can do remotely."

"Oh. Then, I could, um, we could look for an apartment for you this weekend if you want? I don't have to work until Monday, so…"

She was smiling at him shyly, and she was still so beautiful, and how had he almost let her slip away? Had he actually considered just parting as friends? He must be a master of self-deception, because he was pretty sure he would spend the rest of his life trying to put a smile on her face. "That sounds brilliant!" Suddenly he really didn't care that Jack was watching them with a smug smile on his face. He absolutely had to kiss her again. Right now. So he did.


End file.
